10/10/23 10/10/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> i am deeply distressed -- distressed will initiate complete seizure of the gaza strip, nothing allowed in, no electricity, food, or fuel. amy: the united nations is condemning israel's siege on gaza saint it is illegal under the international law as the death toll continues to rise from israel's massive bombing

campaign following hamas' unprecedented attack on southern israel that killed over 900 people in israel. the death toll in gaza has topped 770 overwhelming hospitals in the besieged territory. we will go tel aviv and gaza for the latest. >> we were told to evacuate the eastern part and go to a safe place but there is no safe place in the gaza strip. the airstrikes are targeting everywhere. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. israeli air strikes continue to rain down across the gaza strip, where the death toll has climbed to more than 770 people and is expected to rapidly rise as israel masses troops for a possible ground invasion. among the dead are dozens killed monday as israel bombed a packed

marketplace in jabalia, gaza's are just refugee camp. also struck were hospitals, a university, and two u.n.-run schools sheltering families displaced by the fighting. more than 4000 palestinians have been injured. the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees says violence has displaced nearly 200,000 people across the gaza strip, with that number expected to rise. humanitarian aid workers report hospitals are overwhelmed, with critical shortages of medicine, food, and fuel. this is salah hanouneh, a 73-year-old grandfather whose gaza neighborhood came under attack. >> we were at home when we got information saying we have to leave immediately. to leave because our neighborhood is under attack. we took ourselves, children, grandchildren and we ran away. i can say we became refugees.

we don't have safety or security. what is this life? this is not a life. amy: israel's government says the death toll from hamas' we can attack on this weekend attack on southern israel has climbed to 900. on monday, an israeli volunteer rescue organization said it had discovered more than 100 bodies in the be'eri kibbutz near the gaza border. among those missing after the massacre is 74-year-old vivian silver who cofounded the arab jewish center for equality, empowerment, cooperation and was a member of women wage peace. her son fear she has been taken hostage by hamas. israel's military says it has retaken control of the gaza separation barrier breached by hamas and is laying land mines in the area. on monday, an israeli air strike hit the rafah border crossing in southern gaza, temporarily closing the territory's only

link with egypt. the crossing was reportedly struck again on tuesday, injuring two people and leaving a crater obstructing the movement of people and supplies across the border. this comes after israeli defense minister yoav gallant vowed to completely cut off the gaza strip and its 2 million inhabitants from the outside world. >> i have ordered a complete siege of the gaza strip. there will be no electricity, no food, no fuel. we are fighting human animals and we will act accordingly. amy: united nations secretary-general antonio guterres said he is deeply distressed by israel's siege of gaza. the u.n.'s top human rights official wrote in response -- "the imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law." in southern lebanon, armed

fighters with hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets at israeli military positions monday after israeli shelling killed at least three hezbollah members. an israeli deputy commander was killed during the cross-border fighting. the fighting has prompted fears of a wider war across the middle east. on sunday, a senior hezbollah official pledged solidarity with the palestinians who carried out attacks on israel. >> the nation is with you. our hearts, minds, souls, history, tens, and rockets and all that we have is with you. amy: a senior hamas official on monday denied reports that iran and hezbollah helped plan the incursion into israel from gaza but said hamas' allies stood ready to join the battle. the pentagon says it's moving

ships and warplanes to the eastern mediterranean, including the uss gerald ford, the navy's most advanced aircraft carrier, along with its accompanying battle group. meanwhile, the white house says it's rushing military aid to israel, including air defense missiles, small-diameter bombs, and machine gun ammunition. israel is the largest cumulative recipient of u.s. foreign aid, and is due to receive $3.8 billion in military aid this year. today, president biden is delivering a major address on the crisis in israel and palestine. ahead of his speech, biden signed a joint letter with the leaders of france, germany, italy, and the united kingdom, who wrote to "express our steadfast and united support to the state of israel, and our unequivocal condemnation of hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism." the leaders added, "all of us recognize the legitimate aspirations of the palestinian people." the letter makes no mention of palestinian civilians killed and wounded by israeli strikes on gaza.

here in new york, hundreds of protesters rallied outside israel's consulate in manhattan this is nerdeen kiswani?, a monday. palestinian-american activist who co-founded the group "within our lifetimes." >> we demand an end to the siege and blockade of gaza. we demand an end to the box occupation. this government -- using your tax dollars stop $3 billion a year and $10 million every single day. amy: after headlines, we will go to tel aviv and gaza for the latest.

and afghanistan, the death toll is nearing 3000 after saturday's massive 6.3 earthquake devastated the western herat province. hundreds of people are still missing. their families have spent nights sleeping among the rubble of villages that were decimated by the quake and its aftershocks hoping to find their loved ones as they dig through the wreckage with shovels and their hands. bulldozers are being used to clear space for long rows of graves. these are two of the survivors. >> my two grandchildren are dead. they are buried over there. i lost my whole life. everything. >> we what the government and other agencies to pay attention to us, to provide us with shelter and food so the cold weather does not kill us. you can see our situation. they should give their full attention to everything impacted. amy: afghanistan was already facing a spiraling humanitarian crisis, worsened by u.s.-led

sanctions on the taliban, with at least 15 million people struggling to access food and other resources. the united nations is allocating funds for aid, while pakistan, iran, and china have all pledged to send food, medicines, tents, and more funds. iran and pakistan have also offered to send rescue workers. in guatemala, riot police clashed with protesters monday as nationwide demonstrations grow demanding the resignation of guatemala's attorney general and prosecutors who've launched mounting legal attacks against president-elect bernardo arevalo and his progressive semilla party. guatemalan attorney general consuelo porras and her backers are accused of attempting to derail the democratic process that led to arevalo's historic victory in august and prevent him from taking office this january. porras on monday called on the guatemalan government to repress the peaceful protesters as indigenous leaders and supporters continue to block dozens of roads and streets

across guatemala. arevalo has warned of worsening measures to attempt to quell the demonstrations, including the possibility of right-wing officials enacting a state of siege. in the united states, robert f. kennedy, jr. said monday he will no longer seek the democratic party's nomination and will run an independent campaign for the presidency in 2024. rfk jr. has drawn condemnation for spreading unfounded conspiracy theories about vaccines and over racist and anti-semitic remarks about covid-19. on monday, four of rfk jr.'s siblings -- rory, kerry, joseph and kathleen -- wrote in a statement, "bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision, or judgment. today's announcement is deeply saddening for us. we denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country." cbs news reports rfk jr. was convinced to run by trump's former campaign manager steve

bannon, who believed he would be a useful chaos agent in the 2024 race. in other presidential campaign news, civil rights activist and professor cornel west says he is no longer running to be the green party's presidential nominee and will also run as an independent. california governor gavin newsom has vetoed a bill that would have capped out-of-pocket expenses for insulin at $35 for a 30-day supply. state senator scott wiener, who authored the bill, slammed newsom's veto as a "major setback that will keep tens of thousands of diabetic californians trapped in the terrible choice between buying insulin and buying food." a 2019 study found one-in-four u.s. diabetics skipped or reduced doses of insulin due to the high cost of the life-saving drug. in related news, california governor gavin newsom has also vetoed a bill that would have

banned caste discrimination. the measure was introduced by aisha wahab, california's first muslim and afghan-american state senator. activists still celebrated the widespread support the bill received despite newsom's veto. nirmal singh of californians for caste equality said -- "the fact that caste-oppressed people were given a platform to stand up for our basic human rights is a huge win in and of itself. bills like sb-403 would have allowed us to stand safely in our caste-oppressed identities." fresno, california, last month became the second u.s. city to ban caste discrimination, joining seattle. and the 2023 nobel prize in economics has been awarded to claudia goldin, a harvard professor whose groundbreaking research widen the world's understanding of the impacts of women in the workforce and the gender pay gap. goldin is the first woman to win the prize as an individual,

rather than sharing it, and only the third woman to ever receive the economics nobel. in 1989, goldin became the first woman to be offered tenured in harvard's economics department. she spoke from harvard after news of her win. >> i worked on long-term change, and economic history in particular, the evolution of women's economic growth and where we are today. the fact there has been enormous change and yet they're still large differences between women and men in terms of what they do and so on and the question is, why is this the case? that is what the work is about. amy: and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman in new york, joined by democracy now!'s juan gonzález in chicago. hi, juan. juan: hi, amy. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world.

amy: hospitals in gaza are being overwhelmed as israel continues a massive bombing campaign in response to saturday's surprise attack by hamas militants on southern israel. the death toll inside israel has surpassed 900. meanwhile, authorities in gaza say at least 770 palestinians , including 140 children, have been killed so far in gaza. israel is also reporting that the bodies of 1500 members of hamas have been found inside israel. on monday, israel announced a complete siege of gaza pledging to block electricity, food, and fuel from entering the territory, which has been under an israeli blockade for 16 years. hamas responded by threatening to begin killing hostages seized in southern israel. at the united nations, the u.n. high commissioner for human rights volker turk said -- "the imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law."

u.n. secretary general antonio guterres also condemned the israeli siege. >> i am deeply distressed by today's announcement that israel initiate a seizure of the gaza strip, nothing allowed in, no electricity, food, or fuel. the humanitarian situation in gaza was dire before. now it will deteriorate exponentially. medical equipment, food, fuel, and other humanitarian supplies are desperately needed along with access for humanitarian personnel. the entry of -- the u.n. will continue to provide aid for these needs. i urge all sides to allow united nations access to deliver urgency assistance to those in the gaza strip.

i appeal to the international community to mobilize humanitarian support for these efforts. amy: the u.n. palestinian refugee agency reports 18 of its buildings gaza have been damaged, including four schools and eight healthcare facilities. according to the u.n., more than 187,000 residents of gaza have been displaced. numerous residential buildings have been hit in the israeli attack. >> the shame i walk family has been entirely -- this family has been entirely destroyed. israeli forces hit the building without warning. they did not ask us to evacuate. they did not say anything. suddenly we heard the airstrike and we ran to the building. we found out it collapsed entirely. amy: meanwhile, more details are emerging of the horror that took place on saturday in southern israel during the unprecedented hamas attack. more than 100 bodies have retrieved from be'eri, an

israeli kibbutz near gaza. that is about 10% of the kibbutz 's total population. a number of residents from there remain unaccounted for, including the well-known 74-year-old canadian-israeli peace activist vivian silver who was a member of wimmer wage -- women wage peace. her son yonatan zeigen who fears she has been taken hostage, and spoke to abc news. >> i think this is exactly what she was working to prevent. it is not completely surprising, although it is very overwhelming , that we got to this point. two people have been in a state

of war for so long that this is the outcome and this is what she was working to try to prevent. i was raised on those values and on those aspirations. amy: we begin today's show in gaza where we are joined by refaat alareer. he is a palestinian academic and activist. the editor of the book "gaza writes back" and the co-editor of "gaza unsilenced." in 2021, he wrote an op-ed in "the new york times." that was two years ago. describe what is happening right now in gaza. >> thank you for having me.

what is happening is what israel has always worked to achieve. israeli leaders and officials are talking about sending gaza to -- officials speaking about destroying gaza. there focusing on damage and destruction. we speak about whole government buildings, including schools and clinics, roads, infrastructure. all of the roads leading to the major hospitals, especially in gaza city were destroyed. they bomb palestinian families as they sleep, as they stay in safety. they come and bomb the way that leads to help and aid. then bomb the ambulances that try to get to those people.

that is why we have about 800 palestinian casualties. more than 400 children and women, and elderly people. most of them were killed in the safety of their homes without any fair warning. not that warning would justify the israeli -- war criminals are speaking about second world war level of destruction against the gaza strip. what is happening in gaza is complete and utter extermination of the non-jewish population. israel ordered a siege from air and sea. israel has bombed the only way out through egypt. the only way out is what is happening, what we are foreseeing is, slow starvation. maybe israel is going to push us

more into the sea. i think what is making it even more difficult than before, the whole world -- all american and european countries and politicians are rushing to pledge allegiance to israel and netanyahu. american politicians, american presidential hopefuls are literally calling for genocide. american mainstream media is not pushing back against israeli officials calling for the collapse of hundreds of thousands of palestinians in gaza. why is this happening? because we refuse to live under occupation. we refuse to live in total submission. we want freedom. we want this occupation to end. this is not a state of war, this is a state of occupation that

started over 75 years and started with the british empire giving palestine to the zionist movement in 1970. juan: you mentioned gaza's border with egypt. what has been the response of the egyptian government to the border crossing, which as we understand, was also bombed by israel as well? >> i'm not following closely because we barely have any electricity or internet. but what i heard is the border is closed so people cannot leave and also when we talk about people leaving, very few people in gaza have passports that would allow them -- i am reading report now that israel is even wanting to strike any aid coming from the egyptian side into gaza. so with no food and no

electricity and no water, we can only expect what israel has been working to achieve, what israeli officials and politicians are calling for. some are calling for striking gaza with a nuclear bomb. can you imagine that? many other israeli officials are using nazi language, talking about palestinians as animals that need to be exterminated and gaza needs to be turned into a parking lot. this is what we're dealing with. we are dealing with. you're dealing with a systematic structural, colonial attempt to annihilate and exterminate the palestinians with the aid and support of the western, american tax money. america's sending $8 million. this is insane. sending warships and bombs for israel to kill more and more

palestinians. juan: what are you asking for people in other parts of the world and other governments to do? >> i think the governments are not only complicit for giving the green light, they are participating actively. the shameful statement from france, italy, u.k., germany, and america is an attempt to justify israeli massacres and genocide taken place in gaza. we have no hope in these countries. we have no hope in these governments. the only hope we have is in the growing popular support in america, in the movement -- the human rights and the rights movements in america and across europe to take to the streets to pressure the politicians into putting an end to this dark,

dark episode of not only the history of the middle east, but also the history of humanity. if people are asking how was the holocaust allowed and other genocide in africa and across the road, now you can see this live on tv, live on social media. whole blocks destroyed, hospitals, schools, businesses. we are speaking about thousands and thousands of housing units destroyed by israel. my message to the free people of the world is to move to mobilize and take to the streets. amy: refaat alareer, you are the father of six. how old are your children? can you describe what it is like to live there right now? israel says it has 1500 dead hamas fighters outside gaza.

the number inside gaza is nearing 800. describe the bombing strikes. now, this is before israel does what it is threatening to do which is lay complete siege. they have cut off electricity, gas, food, etc., but actually ground troops moving in. >> like i said, this has been systematically happening for over seven decades. it was thenoose around gaza's neck and it is being tightened even further. the situation is unspeakable. i can't describe what is happening in words. we will speak about thousands -- hundreds and thousands of israel i bombs and shells targeting all areas of the gaza strip. the kids can't sleep, can't eat, can't even speak.

most of the time they are silent, shaking out of fear. sometimes whimpering because how close the bombs are wherever you are in gaza. again, the houses shake every time there is a bomb around. this is happening all over the gaza strip. israel is forcing people to leave out of their homes and urging them to go to certain places like the civic center or the u.n. shelters and then israel bombs the roads leading to these areas and bombs credit areas -- crowded areas. israel killed about 60 palestinians in a refugee camp in a local market where there is a u.n. school with people taking shelter there.

no one is safe. no place is safe. israel is bombing everywhere. thank you for highlighting this. once every 1000 times, israel sends a message warning 10 minutes before a huge building of 50 housing units to leave, and you can't take anything with you if you only have this limited time to leave. and when people leave, wherever they go, they will be chased and hunted down by the bombs. these are barbaric and these are an extension to israeli attempts to exterminate palestinians within gaza, jerusalem, or the west bank. amy: you say israel gives a warning and now hamas is saying if they don't get that warning before a building is bombed, they will kill one hostage for

each one of those bombings. can you talk about how much support there is for hamas within gaza, the government of gaza? >> i'm sorry. who translated that message for you? the message was a threat. it clearly stated with the bare minimum of humanity that israel sends a warning before have bombs a family home. when we speak about homes in gaza and palestine, we speak about houses that have like five or six or even seven housing units where three generations lived in the same place. that is why israel exterminated more than 30 families. most family members were killed because it bombed without warning. the hamas message, don't bomb palestinian homes with kids and

women and elderly and people inside. so this is what is going on. people in gaza -- we don't want to be killed. it seems this is a desperate call for mediators to interfere. stop it. it is already happened in israel . israel seems to be bent to kill israeli captives, soldiers held in gaza more than they are interested in killing palestinian fighters and -- israel does not want to negotiate or release the almost 5000 political prisoners in israeli prisons. the idea about the framing of this is inaccurate. amy: i do it to clarify what you said, you said hamas has threatened to kill a hostage if israel does not warn that it is going to bomb a residential

home. >> exactly. i don't think this too much to ask. this is more of a desperate call to save both palestinian children and families and at the same time the israeli soldiers kept in gaza. now, what is happening here is israel is sending disinformation and fabrication all over the internet, social media, and many mainstream media agencies and outlays are swallowing and repeating these military lies against palestinians to dehumanize them and that is why so many americans, sadly, especially officials and politicians, presidential hopefuls, calling for genocide against palestinians. because there is misinformation. at the same time, they think if they do this, it is going to bring the more money from the israeli lobby in washington,

d.c. juan: you have told the bbc recently things in gaza are "exactly like the warsaw ghetto uprising." elaborate on that. >> if you have seen the pictures from gaza, we speak about complete devastation and destruction to universities, to schools, to mosques, businesses, clinics, roads, infrastructure. i googled this morning warsaw ghetto pictures and i got pictures and i could not differentiate post 7024 pictures and asked to tell which one is from gaza and which one is from the warsaw ghetto. remarkably the same. using almost the same strategies against minority against the oppressed, the besieged people in the warsaw ghetto in the past

or palestinians and christians in the gaza strip. the similarity is uncanny. israel --israeli officials using nazi language. there was a tweet from the jewish congress that says the number of jews that died on saturday is more than the number of jews that died on any given day during the holocaust. this is holocaust denial because this is objectively and sadistically incorrect completely and utterly. the zionist movement, the israel i government is willing to abuse and engage in holocaust denialism what is happening and is going happen in gaza in the coming hours and days. i think this is dangerous and

this has to be stopped. the similarity between gaza and the warsaw ghetto should be a wake-up call to all the people around the world. amy: refaat alareer, thank you for being with us, palestinian academic activist, editor of the book "gaza writes back" and the co-editor of "gaza unsilenced." speaking to us from gaza city. only come back, we go to tel aviv to speak with journalist haggai matar. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. israel is continuing its bombardment of the gaza city. for more we're joined by haggai matar, israeli journalist, activist and serves as the executive director of +972 magazine. haggai matar is a conscientious objector who refused to serve in the israeli army. his new piece is headlined "gaza's shock attack has terrified israelis. it should also unveil the context." welcome back to democracy now! as we speak to you in tel aviv, tell us the contacts that you feel is so important. -- context that you feel is so important. >> when i wrote the piece on saturday, the shock was just in the initial phases. we didn't have the entire scope

of the horror of the atrocities in the south of israel, the hundreds of people who were massacred in their homes and the music festival. entire communities decimated. those stories were just seeping through gradually and the shock of that tragedy, that atrocity was just beginning to land. what is important to say, while also recognizing this collective shock and the drug fullness of this attack, was also to understand the history of this. how we as israelis for many years have developed a sense of community that in the context of the gaza war for example, israel could bomb gaza as it is doing now and wipe out entire families, destroy entire neighborhoods, not to be held accountable, and when dozens --

gazans sent rockets back, almost all our intercepted. the casualty rates in the past decade or so has been one to 100, one to 200 or so. just now there were air sirens here in tel aviv and i did not move for my desk because i know i feel pretty safe. that feeling of safety was cracked and went away in one whiff of that attack on saturday. but it was important for me to remind israelis and people abroad, that feeling of senselessness is when the palestinians have experienced for the past few decades. dozens of people in gaza who have been attacked routinely by israel. when we think about how we understand the hamas attack without justifying it but also recognizing this is not unprovoked or unilateral on the

one hand and also as we take the next steps, we need to understand is no military solution. this brings nothing but death and destruction and no hope for any of us. juan: about this issue that has been raised this was an unprovoked or unilateral attack, you have written "the israeli army is routinely raiding into palestinian cities and refugee camps, far right government is giving settlers and entirely free hand to set up new illegal outposts and lunch programs on towns with soldiers accompanied the settlers and killing remaining post indians trying to defend their homes." could you talk about how palestinians have experienced this new right-wing government, especially the extreme right government in israel in their daily lives? >> first of all, for context for that as well, we need to

remember nothing about what this government is doing is entirely new. the attacks on gaza, the settlement expansion, the attacks in west bank. none of this is unprecedented. this far right government is only taking things one step further, which needs to be contextualized but also we need to recognize the place where things are getting worse. we are definitely seeing since the election of this government much freer hand for settlers to do basically whatever they want in the west bank. there is absolutely no guard rail. no limitations of what settlers can do. if they want to attack palestinian communities and set their houses ablaze, they will have soldiers accompanying them. if they want to set up new outpost on palestinian land, they can do that. if they want to go into the middle of nablus and pray, they

can do that. soldiers will accompany them and protect them. what palestinians are feeling very much related to what i was saying before is senseless because the police are not allowed and does not offer them defense. when they try to defend themselves, soldiers will shoot them to death. that is the reality that palestinians have been feeling for very long time. juan: and this whole issue of how the united states and other countries -- major countries in the world have essentially ignored the unresolved palestinian-israeli question now, hoping to negotiate just with the governments of the region and not deal with the central issue? how do you think this has played a role in the desperate attacks now of hamas into israel? >> i think is very much

connected. as we are talking about the tools palestinians have a resistance and the bargaining chips they can bring with them to the negotiating table, never had too much to offer. basically, their past king, israel, rightly, to believe their territory, to have an independent state. but all they can offer in return is the lack of violence, so peace, and used to have this other bargaining chip which is if you have peace with us, the bonus the entire muslim world that was committed at least outspokenly committed to supporting palestinians and not normalizing relations with israel. ever since the abram accords championed by president trump in 2021, and now with the normalization deal that is being

brokered by president biden with saudi arabia, palestinians are seeing those last bargaining chips slipping away. netanyahu as always said we can have peace with the arab world without palestinians, can just go over their heads. arab nations and countries and governments and u.s. government is brokering this have proved netanyahu right. palestinians without those abilities are seeing fewer and fewer options to claim their just cause against israeli apartheid. i don't think that justifies massacring hundreds of people in their homes and destroying entire communities of civilians. but at the same time, i understand the context in which palestinians are feeling more and more desperate and pushed to the point of doing this. amy: gallant, you were --haggai matar, you were a conscientious

objector and refused to serve in the israeli army. our israelis concerned about the total siege of an possible inground invasion of gaza, which the u.n., the siege, has called illegal. >> not at all. it is deeply troubling to see how much rejoicing there is in the siege. even people associated with the center and with the left -- journalists, some come have said this is a time to cause great damage to gaza, time to extract many deaths in gaza. so it is very troubling and painful to see how out of a very understandable feeling that i myself also share shock, defenses lists --

defenselessness. people are translating that into saying the only answer is revenge. i think it is very dark mirror to look at when you understand these same atrocities committed by hamas came out of that feeling of anger, anguish, and dread of israeli attacks. now as response to those atrocities, supporting their own atrocities. again, against gaza. this seems like a dead end for both of us. amy: haggai matar, israeli journalist, activist executive , director of +972 magazine. a conscientious objector who refused to serve in the israeli army. next up, mohammed el-kurd. back with him in 20 seconds. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. we are joined by mohammed el-kurd, palestinian journalist and writer. he is a correspondent for the nation and culture editor at mondoweiss. born and raised in the jerusalem neighborhood of shaikh jarrah. can you comment overall on this situation right now and what you

think needs to happen? >> i honestly -- join amy: you are muted. we cannot hear you. >> can you hear me now? i honestly don't know what to tell you. it feels to me as if we are living in the very first few days of an unfolding genocide. not only are israeli politicians and journalists and global forces calling for the annihilation of the gaza strip, declaring they're interested in inflicting damage and not really precision but these images that we are seeing coming outside of the gaza strip are so harrowing and devastating that one wonders how much bloodshed, how much palestinian death is necessary

for people to realize that violence begets violence and the occupation and colonization -- the blockade of the gaza strip needs to end for the violence to end. i am incredibly angered that word-of-mouth, unverified reports of "rape and decapitation" which obviously islamaphobic trope have garnered more and more political and global outrage than those very images than a video of a nurse announcing and screaming and distress that her husband has been killed in an israeli airstrike. the pr strategy of the israeli regime has been to turn the islamic phobic sentiment like calling it israel's 9/11. journalists taking this on without any questioning not only to equate the violence of

politically isolated group like hamas but the violence of al qaeda and isis and so on, but also doing the dirty work, preemptively justifying the genocide of hundreds of thousands of palestinians. justifying a brutal onslaught that is about to come globally. that should be alarming. we have seen this unfold during 9/11. we have seen this unfold in history. the dehumanization of palestinians, the refusal to see them as human beings who have the right to resist and defend themselves and to be angry and to want the right to self-determination and not want to live in siege anymore. all of the refusal to see this is contributing to this oncoming onslaught where israeli logicians can call them human animals and saying they are not

concerned with saving anyone, can threaten to bomb aid on voice coming from egypt. --aid envoys coming from egypt. these are terrifying times we are living in. juan: this whole hostage situation as well. hamas has reported in one of the bombing attacks, some of the hostages were killed along with those hamas militants who were guarding them. what do you think the israeli government posture will continue to be on this issue of the hostages? >> so far hamas has said they're willing to release all of the female detainees if israel is going to release the 36 palestinian female prisoners currently lingering in israeli prisons, but the israeli government has refused to negotiate.

ministers have said they could not care less about the hostages and their goal is to inflict as much damage as possible on the gaza strip. i want us to get one thing correctly. holding 2 million people under blockade is a very serious hostage situation. this is what we're dealing with. the fact the israeli regime has been holding palestinians in gaza as hostages to exert political pressure on groups like hamas, the fact 25% of palestinian prisoners held in israeli risen are held without trial for charges is a hostage situation. even palestinian corpses are held in mortuary chambers to be used as bargaining chips is a hostage situation. but we are showed by the world is is a double standard. we are told the only violence

that matters is the violence inflicted upon israelis. it is incumbent upon us as journalists to make this context clear. amy: we just have 30 seconds. you have been in the u.s. a lot. you live in shaikh jarrah. president biden is about to give an address. what do you want to hear him say? >> i know what he is going to say about his biggest ally in the region, but i also know that my family and my neighborhood have experienced attacks with molotov cocktails overnight, that settler violence has been increased in the occupied west bank. even in 1948 territories. i know lipservice from biden is not going to address it. the world needs to know as long as the occupation exists and the apartheid system exists,

it is not difficult understand. people deserve to live safely in their homes. amy: mohammed el-kurd, thank you for being with us, palestinian journalist and writer correspondent for the nation and , culture editor at mondoweiss. this is democracy now! i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. to look at what israel's war on palestinians after the hamas attack could mean for the broader middle east, we end today's show with shibley telhami, professor of peace and development at the university of maryland, senior fellow at the center for middle east policy and co-editor of the book, "the one state reality: what is israel/palestine?" professor, thank you so much for being with this. you are the anwar sadat professor of peace and development at the university of maryland. palestinian-american professor. i'm going to start with the same question, what president biden has said so far and what you

want to hear him say right now? as we speak, the united nations has called israel's siege, total blockade of gaza illegal. the defense minister saying no food, medicine, electricity, water coming in to gaza. your response? >> i know when the first day of the hamas attack, president biden called the israeli prime minister and gave him full empathy and support, "we are behind you." it is understandable in that moment. people hopelessly watching what is happening to their loved ones. it was also a paradigm shift taking place at the same time about the nature of their superiority in that context about the role of their army,

the role of their security. so it was understandable that he would show affinity with them, to show really the public more than the government to say we stand with you. fine. but he has to go beyond that. targeting civilians and recklessly endangering them is unacceptable. it does not matter whether it is palestinian or israeli victims, or any victims, there is no cause that justifies -- of civilians. we know in times of war like this when emotions are really high, we understand people -- there is an urge for vengeance. if the president of the united states, the one the has the most influence from outside on this issue, does not stand up for the moral principle that ought to be

central here, it is a problem. that is something that a political leader must do in time of crisis like this. i would even go a little further than that. it is one thing to say support israel. another thing to be trusting and giving unlimited support for whatever they do. we know this is the most extreme israeli government we have had and perhaps history. we know some of them are calling for some outrageous outcomes in the israeli-palestinian situation. they could not defend their own people, could not defend against hamas in their own communities. it took them several days and it may not be over yet. the israeli public is asking if they can trust the government, trust the military, trustee intelligence. can we trust them to do this sort of things that they might want to do that implicate us not

just in terms of support, but the consequences that might help? i think i would want the president of the united states to be very clear about the moral issue as well as the idea united states interested is going to have to look after. juan: professor, in terms of this vow of the israeli government to eliminate hamas completely and to do whatever is necessary to take control of gaza, the long-term implications of this? first of all, there are 2.2 many people in gaza. the ability of the israeli army to continue to occupy and control that territory is far-d, not to mention there are another 2 million palestinians in the west bank and 2 million palestinians and

arabs with it israel itself. we are talking about the impact on those populations and the rest of the arab world belong assault and occupation of gaza. your expectation of what this could lead to? >> first of all, let's start with the concept. it has dealt with a security problem emanating from one party when in fact this is a deep political problem. there is no military solution. even if you destroy people and kill more people, israel has a district of power that is incredible. -- destructive power that is incredible. we're seeing that now. but that is not going to solve the problem. it might postponement a little bit but it is going to be rubbed and some form of another even aside from the humanitarian disaster. there is no solution. separate from the obvious and immediate central humanitarian

issue, there is no political solution to come out of destroying hamas. israel would then be left with another area of anarchy. and, by the way, as this progresses, we can't be sure hezbollah is not going to be drawn in. hezbollah does not want to go into the fight for a variety of reasons of its own interest, in my opinion. but we see that pressure. as the pressure increases, that could draw hezbollah in then you have an expanded war that would be troublesome for israel but also lebanon. this is not a military challenge. this is not a deterrence challenge. this is a political problem and the occupation has to be addressed. i would expect at some point the president would have to say that today. he is not going to make that link. but in the end, we have to find

a path to end the occupation. amy: we want to thank you for being with us and continue this discussion and post it at democracynow.org. university of maryland professor of peace and development, shible