10/18/23 10/18/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> what happened tonight is a huge tragedy and war massacre that cannot be allowed to pass without accountability. tonight ani airstrikes hit the hospital. amy: palestinian officials are accusing israel of killing over 500 people in an air strike on a

hospital in gaza city where thousands of civilians had sought refuge. israel has denied responsibility. as the overall death toll in gaza tops 3300, president biden is in tel aviv for an unprecedented wartime visit to show support for israel. pres. biden: i want to say to the people of israel, their courage and commitment and bravery is stunning. it is really stunning. i am proud to be here. amy: we will speak to columbia university professor rashid khalidi as well as the united nations special rapporteur on the occupied palestinian territories francesca albanese. plus, we will go to israel to speak with a peace activist whose parents were killed in last week's surprise attack by hamas that killed over 1300 israelis. all that and more, coming up.

welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. president biden is in israel one -- hours after police 500 people were killed at the al-ahli baptist hospital an airstrike. in addition to treating sick and wounded patients, the hospital was acting as a refuge for displaced gazans fleeing israel's unrelenting attacks. this is mohammad al-naqa, a doctor at al-ahli hospital. >> there was no warning before the hospital was targeted. there were about 3000 people who were taking shelter. while we were working at the hospital and without any warning, ron 6:30 p.m., the hospital was targeted by shelling. we did not know what it was but we found out what it could do after eight targeted children who were cut into pieces. amy: gaza's health ministry said

israel told the hospital it had sent warning strikes one day before the deadly attacks. the u.n. has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. amid international condemnation over the attack, israel has denied responsibility, blaming a palestinian-g hide rocket. -- palestinian-jihad rocket. israeli officials deleted a video posted on social media showing palestinian rockets being fired after realizing the timestamp on the footage did not match up with the hospital attack. a planned trip to jordan as part of president biden's visit to the middle east was canceled in the wake of the hospital bombing. biden said he was outraged by the attack, which constitutes a war crime, but sided with israel as he made remarks alongside prime minister benjamin netanyahu earlier today. pres. biden: i was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in gaza yesterday.

based on what i have seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. amy: many have pointed out that militant groups and others in palestine do not have the firepower to level a massive building. israel has a history of lying about its responsibility in crimes against palestinians, including the murder of palestinian-american journalist shireen abu akleh last year, which it initially blamed on palestinians. israel apologized a year after her death. as biden meets with israeli officials, palestinians condemned u.s. support for israel's genocide. this is a resident of khan younis in gaza. >> to president biden and his administration, history will be recorded that it was your administration, your billions of dollars, your support with weapons of mass destruction to

the israeli defense forces which has caused what is happening right now in gaza. amy: on tuesday, israeli strikes hit other civilian targets in gaza, including a u.n. school where thousands were taking refuge. at least 24 u.n. installations have been hit in the past week, killing at least 14 u.n. staffers. israeli forces have killed at least 3300 palestinians over the last 12 days. around a third of those killed were children. gazans continue to suffer from a lack of all basic necessities, including water. turkey has said it is in talks with hamas to release hostages taken by the group in its deadly october 7 attack in israel. that killed over 1300 israelis. meanwhile, iran has warned of potential preemptive action against israel as it prepares for a possible ground invasion of gaza. israel and hezbollah, a lebanese group backed by iran have been exchanging fire on the israel-lebanon border.

israel is reportedly set to ban al jazeera's operations in the country over its coverage of the war. al jazeera is one of the few global media networks that has reporters on the ground in gaza. in related news, the committee to protect journalists said at least 17 media workers have been killed since the start of the war. 13 have them palestinian, three were israeli, and one lebanese. here in the u.s., jewish voice for peace and other groups are rallying in washington, d.c., today to demand an immediate ceasefire. two dozen rabbis are leading prayers and mass civil disobedience. meanwhile, inside the white house and other government buildings, staffers have shared with reporters the challenges in calling out israel's crimes against palestinians. government employees say they fear possible retaliation for even raising the issue of humanitarian protections or restraining israel.

six months of war in sudan have plunged the country into "one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history," killing up to 9000 people and displacing over 5 million. that was the stark warning issued by the united nations, which said at least 25 million people in sudan are also in need of urgent humanitarian relief. humanitarian aid relief has been hindered by violence between the sudanese armed forces and the rapid support forces since fighting broke out in april. the healthcare situation is also dire as many facilities in conflict areas have been shuttered. human rights groups have condemned the ongoing targeting and killing of civilians and journalists. the committee to protect journalists is demanding an investigation into the october 10 killing of sudanese journalist halima idris salim, who died after rsf fighters reportedly ran over her with a vehicle while she covered the conflict in the city of omdurman. the government of venezuelan president nicolás maduro and opposition leaders have agreed

to new rules ahead of next year's presidential election. the move is expected to clear the way for the united states to ease its harsh sanctions on venezuela which have wrecked the economy, forcing millions to flee. as part of the agreement, the venezuelan government will allow all political parties to choose their candidates, grant permission to delegations from united nations and european union to observe the vote, and give equal media access to all campaigns. in climate news, the amazon river has dipped to its lowest levels in over a century amid a protracted regional drought and wildfires. 60 of the 62 cities in brazil's northern amazonas state have declared a state of emergency as communities struggle to meet their basic needs. >> it is challenging for the communities because what they don't produce, which is food, is what they need most at the moment as well as medicine. we have just heard from people in the community about the fear of needing medical care, finding it difficult to travel to the hospital.

amy: in the u.k., swedish climate activist greta thunberg was detained by london police thursday at a protest outside the energy intelligence forum, a major oil and gas industry conference. >> behind these closed doors at the conference, spineless politicians are making deals and compromises with lobbyists from destructive industries, the fossil fuel industry. people all over the world are suffering and dying from the consequences of the climate crisis caused by these industries that we allow to meet with our politicians and have privileged access to. amy: back in the u.s., in georgia, a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years for a crime he did not commit was killed by police monday. leonard allan cure, a black man, was driving on a highway in camden county near the georgia-florida state line when a sheriff's deputy pulled him over, reportedly for speeding. the officer notified him he

would be arrested before shocking cure with a taser at least twice, beating him with a baton, and then fatally shooting him. the 53-year-old man was released from a florida prison in 2020 after he was exonerated for an armed robbery conviction from 2004. since his release, he often gave inspirational talks to high school students and had plans to go to college. far-right ohio congressmember jim jordan failed tuesday to reach the 217-vote threshold needed to become the next house speaker. 20 of his fellow republicans voted against him. all 212 democrats voted for house minority leader hakeem jeffries. jim jordan is a close trump ally and was involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. congressmembers are voting again today. the house has been without a speaker for two weeks following the ouster of kevin mccarthy. meanwhile, a bipartisan move to empower speaker pro tem patrick mchenry to oversee legislative business is being discussed as a way out of the current quagmire. and the supreme court reinstated for a second time the biden

administration's regulations on ghost guns -- unassembled, unmarked gun kits that can be purchased online. in 2022, the federal government imposed similar regulations on diy guns to standard guns, including mandating serial numbers and background checks for purchasers. a federal judge in texas issued a nationwide injunction on the biden rule, but tuesday's supreme court ruling will allow the regulations to stand while a legal challenge plays out. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. palestinian officials are accusing israel of killing over 500 people in an air strike on a hospital in gaza city where thousands of civilians had sought refuge. israel has denied responsibility, claiming the explosion was caused by a failed rocket fired by the militant group islamic jihad. palestinian officials have blasted israel's claim, pointing

out israeli military had already hit the hospital once before on . this is dr. fadel naim, head of the orthopedic surgery department at al-ahli hospital. >> i will describe what i saw myself. i was in the surgery department and i just finished a surgery and i was about to rest before my next surgery. suddenly, we heard the sound of a huge explosion. in the beginning, we thought it was one of the explosions we hear all the time. we did not think it was in the hospital. then people came to the surgery department screaming and yelling and asking us to save them, telling us there were injured and dead people. it was a shock for everyone. the hospital was full of dead people, injured people, and body parts. people were crying and screaming. we tried to give first-aid but there were more injuries than we can handle with our limited resources at the hospital. many people were martyred. some of them were alive.

we saw them alive and breathing but we could not do anything for them. they died in our arms. we saw them. amy: the blast came just hours before president biden landed in israel for an unprecedented wartime visit to israel where he met with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu to express u.s. support for israel. biden placed the blamed for the hospital strike on palestinians. pres. biden: i am deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in gaza yesterday. and based on what i have seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. amy: biden set it appears it was done by the other team, not you close to today, u.n. secretary general antonio guterres called for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in gaza. >> for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire to provide efficient time and space to help realize

-- use the epic human suffering we are seeing. too many lives and the side of the entire region hang on the balance. amy: tuesday night, democracy now! spoke with dr. hammam alloh, an internal medicine and nephrology specialist working in gaza city at dar al shifa hospital, which is around five five miles away from al-ahli hospital. >> it is a baptist hospital. and my clear enough? a baptist hospital. [indiscernible] it is a very old hospital, aged

more than 100 years. it is situated in a very densely populated area. it was hit the day before but patients, refugees, and staff could not leave the hospital. >> you are saying hospital was hit for? >> yes, yes, it was. when it was finally hit again, the death toll is rising to more than 800 lives lost. what if this is going to happen in other hospitals? and bigger hospitals? the massacre is going to be worse. there will be no safe shelter for all patients. as a physician, i'm afraid if

i leave and go to work i hospital will be hit as well. we have only five hospitals providing dialysis to others. nurses are afraid. patients are afraid. what if injured patients do not go there? this means -- amy: he went on to describe how tens of thousands of civilians have sought refuge at the hospitals in gaza. >> dar al shifa hospital, there are almost 40,000 persons in --

outside the hospital buildings. they came looking for safe shelter. those are in addition to the patients now living in the hospital hallways. wherever you go, no matter what hall you go to, there are a lot of people sleeping, kids, women, elderly patients, living in the hospital hallways. you can barely even walk through the hallway because of people actually living there for more than a week. you can't just ask them to leave so you can walk freely because they have no safe shelter. many have lost their homes now. this is their home.

if you could mention the amount and the magnitude of diseases and infections, speaking of which, today i met the first patient with a disease called the just fibrosis. this is a bad disease we usually get from rodents and deadly drinking water this disease affects badly our kidneys and liver. the patient is in a state of acute kidney injury, failure. this is because he was in a school shelter but now they are very busy with unlivable living

circumstances. but he had to be there with his family looking for safer shelter away from his house. amy: that was dr. hammam alloh, a doctor working at dar al shifa hospital. when we come back, we stick to colombia university professor rashid khalidi. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. palestinian officials are accusing israel of killing over 500 people in an airstrike on a hospital in gaza city where thousands of civilians have sought refuge. israel is denying responsibility, climbing the explosion was caused by failed rocket fired by the militant group islamic jihad.

posting and officials have blasted israel's plan, pointing out israel's military had already the hospital just days before. as we continue to look at israel's war on gaza, we're joined by rashid khalidi, edward said professor of modern arab studies at columbia university. a renowned palestinian-american scholar. he's the author of several books, including his latest, "the hundred years' war on palestine." professor khalidi's new piece for "the new york times" is titled "the u.s. should think twice about israel's plans for gaza." we're going to go to that in just a moment. what the u.s. should be thinking about right now. but if you can begin by responding to these developments of the last 24 hours with the explosion at al-ahli hospital and the significance of this? >> it has had an enormous significance, it led to the

cancellation of a summit. the arab participants all pulled out after this atrocity. i think it has also led to increased anger all over the arab world. there demonstrations in at least eight or nine arab capitals. there is already rage. i think this has increased that. i think it is very hard to believe given that israel has threatened hospitals and schools and hit hospitals and schools in the past and that the kinds of weapons used by islamic jihad and hamas have very limited warheads, that this could been come as the israelis claim, a misfire -- as he reported, a piece of video turns out to have been dated from a period after

the attack on this hospital. any case whoever was responsible, the result will be the enormous anger at the united states for its support of israel as well as further increase in this enormous death toll inside gaza. amy: the palestinian legislator and medical doctor mustafa barghouti said they had in a very short period of time a number of explanations of what happened. at first i did not say this. they said hamas was operating underneath the hospital. then they said they're using palestinians as human shields sort of to explain what happened. then they came up with this. i wanted to ask you, we had on shreve w produce -- sharif abdel kouddous, documenting what israel said about the murder of this palestinian american

journalist shireen abu akleh. they first said she was killed by posting in gunmen and then said the evidence was inconclusive and then after enormous pressure and multiple investigations by many news outlets and human rights groups, they said they likely killed her but not intentional and caught in crossfire -- something that was disproven by human rights group after forensic texture study of the whole thing -- architecture study of the whole thing showing it was an israeli staffer. >> i think it took a 45 minutes to put out the specific cover story on this one and it was knocked down, she reported, would it turned out the piece of film they produce actually dated 40 minutes after the attack. amy: "the new york times" pointed that out and then they retracted the video from x, from

twitter. >> precisely. they have a well oiled machine to manufacture cover stories for everything they do. they have been warning hospitals that they are targets just after this attack, initial attack out of gaza on october 7. they hit this hospital the other day as you reported. they hit a school today. if you read the israeli press, senior generals and retired generals talking about places like hospitals and schools as targets because they claim there are hamas bunkers beneath them. it is hard not to accept this was an israeli airstrike or bun varmint --bombardment. given israel has dropped 6000 bombs at least in the last 11 days, it is hard to believe that it will be -- people in the

middle east who know how israel systematically lies about what it does to believe this was anybody else other than israel. that is the important fact to retain. people in palestine and the arab world and everywhere except in the u.s. and european media bubble are going to have to chalk this up to israel's attack on gaza. amy: talk about your piece, "the u.s. should think twice about israel's plans for gaza." explain what you see unfolding and respond to president biden sitting down with a prime minister netanyahu today and saying, the other team did it come attacking the hospital. go one from there. >> well, the president has wanted the united states to israel since soon after this horrible escalation started.

in so doing, he has made the united states responsible in the eyes of the world for everything. this is the latest example of that. he has basically read from an israeli teleprompter, as he seems to do routinely, when anything related to the middle east comes up. it is almost as if his lines are scripted in tel aviv at the israeli defense ministry where there disinformation headquarters are located. he has i think put the united states in a position that i am not entirely sure anybody in the administration realizes. the u.s. is going to be vilified, not just in the middle east as a result of its unlimited support for israel, what we're seeing now is only the beginning of the munitions being sent, aircraft carriers sent to the mediterranean, the huge bill that will put before congress.

i've seen a figure of $100 million. it will submit in people's minds the idea the united states and israel are one, which means whatever happens gaza going forward in terms of people being killed, innocent civilians being killed, in terms of population being expelled -- basically, talking about ethnic cleansing of northern gaza. and heaven forbid, people actually being forced out of gaza into egypt, which is still a possibility. all of these things will be put down, not just to israel, but to the united states. i don't think they fully realize or if they do they have not anything about it. this is what the president -- this is where the president has put the united states. for whatever reason. electoral reasons come his own personal sympathy for israel. it doesn't really matter. we're in a situation where the u.s., in my view, has put itself in a more precarious position in the middle east at any time

since 1967 war. amy: talked about what is happening on the northern border, on the israel-lebanon border, hezbollah, back-and-forth, the rocket fire that is going on there and what this could signify. >> well, the most apocalyptic scenario, which i hope and pray does not come about, would be a full-scale war on the northern border between hezbollah and israel. that has the potential to draw many other actors in and turn into an even wider war than that, heaven forbid, involving syria and iran and indeed perhaps the united states. that would be a real apocalyptic scenario. i have a sense that the united

states, iran, hezbollah, and israel are all elected to go too far down that path. any one of them could do something that could provoke that kind of escalation but the real problem is unintended consequences of actions that are out of control. whatever israel, hezbollah, iran or the united states may want, there may be actions that precipitate a rabid -- rapid escalation. the situation is appalling as it is. it would be infinitely worse. the devastation of lebanon that would follow, northern israel would be devastated as well. the possibility of that growing even wider is terrifying. amy: talk about who biden hears. on the one hand, have jordan canceling the summit. he was going to be with the

king, with the egyptian president sis, and mahmoud abbas who turned around and said he would not participate and jordan canceled and now the u.s. is saying they canceled it mutually. but what exactly this means. so the only images president biden hugging president herzog and netanyahu at the airport when he arrived. but even at home, state department officials are afraid to raise the issue of palestinian death. there was an interesting piece in huffpost. they talk about a call made by -- let me see if i can find this. a call with muslim staffers where they were told to talk

about their concerns. they talked about being afraid of being fired, of being blacklisted if they dared raise the actual concern they have about what is happening and what the death toll could be in the position that president biden is taking right now. >> we are moving into an era where it is equated with terrorism and maybe met with police state tactics full students are being visited by the fbi. i'm not surprised the government is sending the fbi to talk to student activists, clamping down on its own employees who dare to express humanitarian sentiment. you are required now to utter a mantra in which you explicitly talk about is really suffering. if you do not do that, you are doxed and so forth. it is happening in universities,

companies and i'm sure it is happening within the federal government. but that is in line with the administration's position which is this is a one-sided affair in which on the one site is absoluteevil, which according to some is worse than isis, and with that kind of point of view, clearly, anyone who expresses any dissent -- your supporting absolute evil if you talk about anything but the unlimited suffering of israelis. the suffering is unquestionable, but that should be the only thing puts the u.s. in a position where maybe in a sound bubble of the united states, so-called western world, it is comfortable. but with the rest of the world, that will not wash. including countries that are not particularly supportive of palestine, like india, china, so

forth. those are countries and other parts of the world see things in the very same way. i don't know these people understand the degree to which they are harming this country by this blind, one-sided israel -first approach. amy: let me ask you rashid khalidi, if you are president biden, what would you do right now? >> what would i do right now? i would immediately call for a cease-fire. i would make sure the hostages were released immediately. it is unconscionable they beheld. that would require a negotiation between israel and hamas about what the terms for those release would be. i would insist on that. it is urgent as people be gotten out. most of those are innocent civilians. the second thing i would do would be to say to israel, look, there's this palestine question that has been a problem for 75

years. if you don't address it, the u.s. will not be willing to offer unlimited support. addressing it means talking about the palestinian self-determination, ending the occupation, talking about rolling back settlement -- not limiting the unlimited expansion of settlements. there is a whole set of things which -- without which you will never have a resolution. i would work toward a lasting resolution, a struggle that has been going on for more than 100 years, instead of yet another band-aid, yet another attempt to stabilize the status quo which is massively unfavorable to the palestinians and will only lead to more suffering for everyone concerned. that is an idealistic position perhaps, but i don't think anybody who has any sense of how this is likely to develop would say anything different, frankly. amy: rashid khalidi, thank you for being what this edward said , professor of modern arab

studies at columbia university. author of a number of books including "the hundred years' war on palestine." we will link to your new "times" op-ed "the u.s. should think twice about israel's plans for gaza." coming, we speak with united nations special rubber tour -- special rapporteur. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. u.n. secretary-general has called for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in gaza. he spoke earlier today. >> and billy before departing for beijing, in two urgent humanitarian appeals. to hamas, the immediate release of the hostages. to israel, immediately allow access to humanitarian aid to respond to the most basic needs of the people of gaza, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and children. they cannot justify this against -- but those attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the palestinian people.

each of my appeals, they're not bargaining chips but simply the right thing to do. i am horrified by the hundreds of people killed at al-ahli hospital in gaza by a strike that i strongly condemned earlier today. i call for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire to provide sufficient time and space to help realize -- he's the epic human suffering we are witnessing. many lives hang on the balance. amy: we are joined right now by francesca albanese, the united nations special rapporteur on the occupied palestinian territories. speaking to us from washington, d.c. non-pinned respond to what is unfolding right now and to the u.n.'s call for humanitarian

cease-fire at this point? after the deaths of some more than 1300 israeli's and over 3300 palestinians? >> good morning, amy. thank you for having me. what we're watching is a catastrophe of olympian proportions. it is a humanitarian and political catastrophe. since the very early hours of this new tragedy unfolding in the occupied palestinian territories and israel, critically condemned went hamas has done, targeting of innocent civilians, it's taking hostages come and at the same time and breath, i have condemned the response that has been by israel under the pretense of self-defense and ruto come even unprecedented attacks in terms

of intensity, because the population which has suffered in the gaza strip alone, five major wars in less than 15 years. i said, how killing of 3000 civilians, the bombing of hospitals, schools, crowded markets, the leveling of houses -- how can it ever be justified to self-defense? amidst this, i've said the only reasonable and necessary thing to ask for is an immediate and unconditional cease-fire. which of course, must also be accompanied by the release of the civilian hostages that hamas has taken. there is no way out without a peaceful solution. it is imperative for the international community and the u.s., first and foremost, to take this opportunity to act evenhandedly and with wisdom before we spiral further.

this is what is going to happen if the situation does not de-escalate. amy: spiraling into an abyss. francesca albanese, if you can respond first to what happened on october 7, the surprise hamas attack that ultimately killed more than 1300 israelis, now we believe roughly 200 to 250 according to them additional people are being held hostage in gaza. and then if you can respond to the plans of israel repeatedly what is said is they want to de-hamasify gaza, what that means? >> what has happened since october 7, which i have set is unconscionable, has taken everyone come even longtime those familiar with the situation in the territory, by surprise. there is no way what hamas has

done cannot be condemned as workrooms and possible crimes against humanity. an investigation needs to be conducted and there is already an investigation by the commission of inquiry on the palestinian side -- territory and israel. killing civilians and taking civilian hostages cannot ever be testified. civilian lives must be preserved at all times under all circumstances. if we put this in context from the palestinian perspective, the palestinians have been under a settler colonial regime and the occupied territory which is apartheid by default. so while resisting the occupation, resisting this oppression is a legitimate goal under international law, it does not give blanket license to kill, to target civilians.

the resistance -- like the conduct of the occupied power of israel has rules. i cannot think of one rule of international humanitarian law that has not been violated. this is clear. going to israel's response. well, there is declaring, wanting -- israel wants to uproot, eradicate hamas from the gaza strip. we have to remember that the gaza strip has been under an unlawful blockade for 16 years. it was already on the brink of humanitarian collapse according to many sources, primarily the united nations and other international organizations, even before october 7. what has happened is an intensification of this unlawfulness because the

blockade has been -- back happened off the gaza strip from receiving water, electricity, food, essential medicine while it was also being bombed. i cannot imagine how this can be considered proportionate, proportional. all of this violence come all of this brutality unleashed against 2.2 million people, half of whom are children. how can it lead, on the one hand, to eradication of hamas s bar let head to de-escalation and among the palestinian people in gaza? there is another element here which you rightly pointed to, which is the intent to move out -- eradicate hamas

but also move out from the gaza strip. as i myself to announced, there is a risk of ethnic cleansing here. it would not be the first time. there have been countless statements by israeli leaders wanting to push the people of gaza out. there's also the practice and war, mass displacement of palestinians has occurred. in 1947, 19 49 17 hundred 50,000 palestinians were displaced commemorating refugees -- made refugees and were not allowed to return. in 1967, many were made refugees and never allowed to return. what is happening now is targeting millions of palestinians. it would be the largest instance of ethnic cleansing in the

history of this land. it is not possible it happened under the watch of the international community. amy: if you can talk about the rejection of the u.n. security council draft resolution calling for humanitarian cease-fire in gaza. it was introduced monday. it was introduced by russia. six countries abstained. the united states voted against the cease-fire resolution. >> amy, it is not a coincidence that i started this interview by saying this is a catastrophe of humanitarian and political olympian proportions. we can see the failure of the united nations system to ensure

peace and security. because the fact the u.n. security council has so far been unable to issue a strong condemnation of what is happening, of what has been committed by hamas and byi, thi -- by israel, this is systematic of a decade-long failure that has been transformed into a humanitarian emergency and humanitarian catastrophe. but it remains a political situation that needs to be resolved with international law. it is upon the united nations security council to do so, as i said, this is a critical time to show compassion and solidarity with both the israelis and palestinians and act evenhandedly. amy: i wanted to ask you about the news that israel is said to ban al jazeera from reporting in

the occupied territories after the attorney general approved the move. according to the israeli media, the attorney general and communications minister reached an agreement tuesday on the wording of emergency regulations to stop al jazeera from operating. francesca albanese, what does this mean? here in the united states -- and you're not always here to say the least, but in this country, the news we are getting from the corporate media when it comes to the broadcast and cable networks, there is almost no one reporting regularly from inside gaza. al jazeera does report on the ground in gaza. the significance of this? >> i have to say, i learned this now. i had not heard of it. it is extremely worrisome.

we need information. we need information so -- i mean, the public and all the political leaders. there have been very few independent voices reporting from gaza, let alone after october 7. but al jazeera has been an incredible source of information, so it is incredible this is happening. at the same time, what i want to point to, both palestinian and israeli human rights organizations have done an incredible job over the years, including in these days and tragic hours, for both to report and put in context what is happening. so i do hope this decision to expel al jazeera will be repealed. amy: it hasn't happened yet, but they are on the verge it sounds like. >> it should not happen.

it should not happen. this is all the more -- it makes it all the more necessary for the international community and the member states to prevent this from happening. amy: francesca albanese, we want to thank you for being with this united nations special , rapporteur on the occupied palestinian territories. we ended today show in israel where we are joined by maoz inon who lost both his parents in the surprise attack by hamas october 7 that killed over 1300 people in israel. he is an israeli peace activist with standing together, who is calling for the war to end. has paris lived on a farm and collected just north of the gaza border. they were 78 and 76 years old. maoz, our deepest condolences on the loss of your parents. >> thank you.

amy: can you talk about your parents and what you're calling for now? so often we are hearing the israeli government used the killing, this mass killing i've israelis, over 1300 killed and not clear but between 200 now 250 held hostage in gaza, as the rationale for a ground invasion and the bombing now of gaza. >> i am overwhelmed with what happened to me and to my family and my community and classmates, friends and our community around gaza. nothing prepared me for this moment that i would be speaking with you about my tragedy. i wish i was speaking with you about the initiatives, peace

initiatives i've been taking part in in the last 20 years. honestly, i am overwhelmed with everything that is going on. my parents were 11 people -- were loving people and were adored and admired by their colleagues, friends, their community, and of course by my five brothers and sisters and 11 grandchildren. they did not want to harm anyone. they did not want to fight with anyone. we had a close and tight relationship. we had a close family relationship. i have many friends, colleagues, partners in palestine, jordan, egypt. what is happening now is just

devastating. it is just devastating. listing to you and your guests, i was crying again. i was crying again because the term everyone is using is "devastating." it is kind of a blame game, who started it, who should the missile, how many victims there is from each side. and it is just shocking. we keep using -- everyone, including you and your guest come the same term, we are using for the last century, the cycle of blood between the israelis and palestinians. mike ryan is to stop the cycle, stop the cycle of blood,'s top the cycle of war -- stop the cycle of war. i was interviewing a few days ago with the bbc and i said i am

crying out for my parents, i am crying for those who lose their life in this war. mike ryan did not help. -- my cry did not help. hundreds of people. i'm crying now again with you. i am crying to everyone that is watching and listening. don't blame anyone. me and my family, we seek no revenge. we seek no revenge, we just seek peace, seek for hope. we must change the terminology we are using. reconciliation, for partnership, and for peace. i am crying and i am begging you , don't blame anyone, just stop

the war and build a different future, to break the cycle of blood. to break this game of blood. and to build a new future with hope. i am not a scholar, i am not a spokesman, i'm not a politician, i am a normal people. i am working very hard for my living. i am married to beautiful and amazing woman. i never thought something like this might happen to someone like me. maybe in ukraine or africa, you hear it in faraway places, this catastrophe reached me.

amy: there is -- >> sorry, i'm very emotional. amy: again, my condolences to you and your family. today there is a mass protest planned for washington, d.c., led by groups like jewish voice for peace. two dozen rabbis will be part of a civil disobedience, apparently. they are calling for an end to the occupation. do you feel the same way? >> i think occupation -- of course, but we are in such a risk. and i think now calling to do these things or the other, we are going back. we are using the same terminology. let's call for peace. let's call for complete cease-fire. let's call for building bridges.

of course i'm against the occupation. but it is irrelevant at the moment. i'm afraid there will be many, many more victims. we should all be focusing now to stop the war. very simple message. we must cry it to everyone that has a heart, that can listen. amy: let me ask you, there are israeli families in front of the israeli military headquarters in tel aviv whose families have been taken hostage, and they are there saying the same thing. we often see them in the media describing the horror of what happened to their loved ones, but then i media does not going to say what they are calling for. what do you demand right now of

prime minister netanyahu, when talked about ending the war? >> again, i am calling and i'm crying not to benjamin netanyahu, not to the leader of hamas, not to president biden. i am crying for the entire humanity. i am crying to stop the war. i am crying for an immediate cease-fire and i'm crying for hope. hope that will take us from the cycle of blood to a new and bright future. we must build hope. we must build a future. this feature must be based on equality, on peace. this is what i am crying for. it is not to blame this or the

other, this person or the other. we must build a new system. amy: we want to thank you so much as the show ends in our condolences again, speaking to us from israel.

hello, and welcome back to nhk "newsline." u.s. president joe biden has played the role of diplomat in intervening in the conflict in the middle east. he's wrapped up a visit to israel. he reiterated american support