At least 15 Palestinians were killed by an Israeli attack on a Gaza City school that was housing displaced people on Saturday (Aug 3), hours after two strikes in the occupied West Bank killed nine militants, including a local Hamas leader, according to the Palestinian militant group.

The Israeli military said&nbsp;that the first airstrike in the West Bank targeted a vehicle in a town near Tulkarm, aiming at a militant group heading to launch an attack.

According to a statement by Hamas, one of those killed was a leader of the organisation's Tulkarm brigades, while its ally Islamic Jihad said the other four people killed in the hit were combatants.

Hours later, Israel's military claimed a second bombing in the vicinity targeted another group of militants&nbsp;who had fired on forces, as part of a counter-terrorism operation in Tulkarm.

According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, four people&nbsp;were killed in that strike, while Hamas claimed that all nine of those killed in the two Israeli assaults in the West Bank were militants.

Violence in the West Bank had been increasing even before the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and has continued to rise, with frequent Israeli raids in the area, which Palestinians aim to include in their state.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-war-kyiv-says-it-sank-russian-submarine-hit-depots-746919">Ukraine war: Kyiv says it sank Russian submarine, hit depots</a>

According to the Hamas-government media office, at least 15 people were killed in the Gaza Strip after Israel struck a school housing displaced residents in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood.

The Israeli military claims the school was being used by Hamas as a command centre, to conceal militants, and to produce weapons. Hamas has rejected these accusations, saying they do not use civilian sites like schools and hospitals for military purposes.

According to Gaza health officials, Israel's military operation has killed at least 39,550 Palestinians since the beginning of the war. The conflict was initiated by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, which led to the killing of&nbsp;1,200 people, while&nbsp;250 others were taken as hostages, according to Israeli officials.

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

At least 15 Palestinians were killed by an Israeli attack on a Gaza City school that was housing displaced people on Saturday (Aug 3), hours after two strikes in the occupied West Bank killed nine militants, including a local Hamas leader, according to the Palestinian militant group.

At least 15 Palestinians were killed by an Israeli attack on a Gaza City school that was housing displaced people on Saturday (Aug 3), hours after two strikes in the occupied West Bank killed nine militants, including a local Hamas leader, according to the Palestinian militant group. The Israeli military said that the first airstrike in the West Bank targeted a vehicle in a town near Tulkarm, aiming at a militant group heading to launch an attack. According to a statement by Hamas, one of those killed was a leader of the organisation's Tulkarm brigades, while its ally Islamic Jihad said the other four people killed in the hit were combatants. Hours later, Israel's military claimed a second bombing in the vicinity targeted another group of militants who had fired on forces, as part of a counter-terrorism operation in Tulkarm. According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, four people were killed in that strike, while Hamas claimed that all nine of those killed in the two Israeli assaults in the West Bank were militants. Violence in the West Bank had been increasing even before the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and has continued to rise, with frequent Israeli raids in the area, which Palestinians aim to include in their state. Also read: Ukraine war: Kyiv says it sank Russian submarine, hit depots According to the Hamas-government media office, at least 15 people were killed in the Gaza Strip after Israel struck a school housing displaced residents in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood. The Israeli military claims the school was being used by Hamas as a command centre, to conceal militants, and to produce weapons. Hamas has rejected these accusations, saying they do not use civilian sites like schools and hospitals for military purposes. According to Gaza health officials, Israel's military operation has killed at least 39,550 Palestinians since the beginning of the war. The conflict was initiated by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, which led to the killing of 1,200 people, while 250 others were taken as hostages, according to Israeli officials. (With inputs from agencies) Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Israeli airstrikes target Gaza school, kills 15; nine West Bank militants dead

The UN Human Rights Council will on Thursday discuss creating a broad, international investigation into violations surrounding the latest Gaza violence, but also of "systematic" abuses in the Palestinian territories and inside Israel.

The proposal before the United Nations' top rights body calls for an unprecedented level of scrutiny on abuses and their "root causes" in the decades-long Middle East conflict.

The draft resolution presented by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will be debated during a special one-day council session focused on the surge in deadly violence between Israelis and Palestinians this month.

The session of the 47-member council, called for by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC and the Palestinian Authority, will kick off at 0800 GMT with a statement by UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet.

Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki was among those expected to address the session, as was Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva. On Wednesday, she attacked both the session and the draft resolution.

Their "sole purpose", she said, was "to blame Israel, whitewash the crimes committed by Hamas, and for the Palestinian Authority to avoid assuming its responsibilities towards its population".

Root causes

The text, expected to be voted on Thursday afternoon, calls for the council to "urgently establish an ongoing independent, international commission of inquiry... in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel".

The investigators, the text said, should probe "all alleged violations and abuses" of international law linked to the tensions that sparked the latest violence.

Before a truce took hold last Friday, Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire on Gaza killed 253 Palestinians, including 66 children, and wounded more than 1,900 people in 11 days of conflict from May 10, the health ministry in Gaza says.

Rocket and other fire from Gaza claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child and an Arab-Israeli teenager, an Israeli soldier, one Indian national and two Thai workers, medics say. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded.

But the draft text goes far beyond the most recent conflict, also calling for investigators to probe "underlying root causes of recurrent tensions and instability, including systematic discrimination and repression based on group identity".

The investigation should focus on establishing facts and gather evidence and other material that could be used in legal proceedings, and as far as possible should identify perpetrators to ensure they are held accountable, it said.

'Systemic impunity'

"Long-standing and systemic impunity for international law violations has thwarted justice, created a protection crisis and undermined all efforts to achieve a just and peaceful solution," the draft text said.

If the resolution passes, it would create the council's first-ever open-ended commission of inquiry (COI) -- the highest-level investigation that can be ordered by the council.

Other COIs, like the one in Syria, need their mandates renewed every year.

And while the council has previously ordered eight investigations into rights violations committed in the Palestinian territories, this would be the first one with a mandate to examine "root causes" in the drawn-out conflict, and also to probe systematic abuses committed within Israel.

Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told reporters Wednesday that the recent violence was only the latest in a long cycle, and stressed the need for the investigation to have "standing status".

Twenty of the council's 47 members were among the 66 countries that backed holding the special session.

The rights council holds three regular sessions each year but can hold special sessions with the backing of at least a third of members.

Thursday will mark the 30th extraordinary meeting since the council's creation 15 years ago.

It will be the ninth focused on Israel, which has long complained it faces bias in the council. Ambassador Eilon Shahar said this latest special session marked a "further tarnishing (of) the moral values it is supposed to uphold."

She called on all member states "to assume their moral responsibility and oppose the resolution".

The UN Human Rights Council will on Thursday discuss creating a broad, international investigation into violations surrounding the latest Gaza violence, but also of "systematic" abuses in the Palestinian territories and inside Israel.

The UN Human Rights Council will on Thursday discuss creating a broad, international investigation into violations surrounding the latest Gaza violence, but also of "systematic" abuses in the Palestinian territories and inside Israel. The proposal before the United Nations' top rights body calls for an unprecedented level of scrutiny on abuses and their "root causes" in the decades-long Middle East conflict. The draft resolution presented by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will be debated during a special one-day council session focused on the surge in deadly violence between Israelis and Palestinians this month. The session of the 47-member council, called for by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC and the Palestinian Authority, will kick off at 0800 GMT with a statement by UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet. Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki was among those expected to address the session, as was Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva. On Wednesday, she attacked both the session and the draft resolution. Their "sole purpose", she said, was "to blame Israel, whitewash the crimes committed by Hamas, and for the Palestinian Authority to avoid assuming its responsibilities towards its population". Root causes The text, expected to be voted on Thursday afternoon, calls for the council to "urgently establish an ongoing independent, international commission of inquiry... in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel". The investigators, the text said, should probe "all alleged violations and abuses" of international law linked to the tensions that sparked the latest violence. Before a truce took hold last Friday, Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire on Gaza killed 253 Palestinians, including 66 children, and wounded more than 1,900 people in 11 days of conflict from May 10, the health ministry in Gaza says. Rocket and other fire from Gaza claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child and an Arab-Israeli teenager, an Israeli soldier, one Indian national and two Thai workers, medics say. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded. But the draft text goes far beyond the most recent conflict, also calling for investigators to probe "underlying root causes of recurrent tensions and instability, including systematic discrimination and repression based on group identity". The investigation should focus on establishing facts and gather evidence and other material that could be used in legal proceedings, and as far as possible should identify perpetrators to ensure they are held accountable, it said. 'Systemic impunity' "Long-standing and systemic impunity for international law violations has thwarted justice, created a protection crisis and undermined all efforts to achieve a just and peaceful solution," the draft text said. If the resolution passes, it would create the council's first-ever open-ended commission of inquiry (COI) -- the highest-level investigation that can be ordered by the council. Other COIs, like the one in Syria, need their mandates renewed every year. And while the council has previously ordered eight investigations into rights violations committed in the Palestinian territories, this would be the first one with a mandate to examine "root causes" in the drawn-out conflict, and also to probe systematic abuses committed within Israel. Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told reporters Wednesday that the recent violence was only the latest in a long cycle, and stressed the need for the investigation to have "standing status". Twenty of the council's 47 members were among the 66 countries that backed holding the special session. The rights council holds three regular sessions each year but can hold special sessions with the backing of at least a third of members. Thursday will mark the 30th extraordinary meeting since the council's creation 15 years ago. It will be the ninth focused on Israel, which has long complained it faces bias in the council. Ambassador Eilon Shahar said this latest special session marked a "further tarnishing (of) the moral values it is supposed to uphold." She called on all member states "to assume their moral responsibility and oppose the resolution".

UN rights council to discuss probing 'systematic' abuses in Palestinian territories, Israel

Ireland has become the first EU member state to declare the building of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories as de facto annexation.

Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, said a Sinn Féin motion on the issue "is a clear signal of the depth of feeling across Ireland."

"The Government shares that grave concern," he said."The scale, pace and strategic nature" of Israel's settlement activity "is de facto annexation", Minister Coveney told deputies.

He said that Ireland is the first EU state to say so, adding that he does not "do it lightly".

But he also insisted on adding a condemnation of recent rocket attacks on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas before he agreed to government support for the motion, which had been tabled by the opposition Sinn Fein party.

"The scale, pace and strategic nature of Israel`s actions on settlement expansion and the intent behind it have brought us to a point where we need to be honest about what is happening on the ground. ... It is de facto annexation," Coveney told parliament.

"This is not something that I, or in my view this house, says lightly. We are the first EU state to do so. But it reflects the huge concern we have about the intent of the actions and of course, their impact," he said.

Most countries view settlements Israel has built-in territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war as illegal and as an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians. The United States and Israel dispute this.

Israel cites historical and biblical links to the West Bank and around 450,000 of its settlers live there, among 3 million Palestinians. It also denies any systematic violation of the human rights of Palestinians.

The motion came days after a ceasefire ended 11 days of the worst fighting between Palestinian militants and Israel in years. The violence sparked large pro-Palestinian protests in Dublin.

Sinn Fein refused to support the government amendment condemning Hamas attacks.

"The acts of terror by Hamas and other militant groups in firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel... cannot and should not ever be justified," Coveney said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Ireland has become the first EU member state to declare the building of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories as de facto annexation. Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, said a Sinn Féin motion on the issue "is a clear signal of the depth of feeling across Ireland.

Ireland has become the first EU member state to declare the building of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories as de facto annexation. Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, said a Sinn Féin motion on the issue "is a clear signal of the depth of feeling across Ireland." "The Government shares that grave concern," he said."The scale, pace and strategic nature" of Israel's settlement activity "is de facto annexation", Minister Coveney told deputies. He said that Ireland is the first EU state to say so, adding that he does not "do it lightly". But he also insisted on adding a condemnation of recent rocket attacks on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas before he agreed to government support for the motion, which had been tabled by the opposition Sinn Fein party. "The scale, pace and strategic nature of Israel`s actions on settlement expansion and the intent behind it have brought us to a point where we need to be honest about what is happening on the ground. ... It is de facto annexation," Coveney told parliament. "This is not something that I, or in my view this house, says lightly. We are the first EU state to do so. But it reflects the huge concern we have about the intent of the actions and of course, their impact," he said. Most countries view settlements Israel has built-in territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war as illegal and as an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians. The United States and Israel dispute this. Israel cites historical and biblical links to the West Bank and around 450,000 of its settlers live there, among 3 million Palestinians. It also denies any systematic violation of the human rights of Palestinians. The motion came days after a ceasefire ended 11 days of the worst fighting between Palestinian militants and Israel in years. The violence sparked large pro-Palestinian protests in Dublin. Sinn Fein refused to support the government amendment condemning Hamas attacks. "The acts of terror by Hamas and other militant groups in firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel... cannot and should not ever be justified," Coveney said. (With inputs from agencies)

Ireland first European country to declare Israeli settlements 'annexation'

In the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, the gap between truth and falsehoods is growing wider by the day. A lot of credit for this goes to social media where misinformation is flourishing with fake videos and images going viral.

A video showed a truck-based missile launcher moving down a civilian area. This video was first shared by a US-based pro-Israeli account and has since been shared repeatedly with the claim that it's from Gaza. It claims that Hamas is using humans as a shield against Israel. But the video is fake.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Here you see a Hamas rocket launcher parking in a civilian area to use humans as shields. Let no one fool you as to the true intent of Hamas - they want death of Israelis even if it means their own die too.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IStandWithIsrael?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IStandWithIsrael</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HamasTerrorists?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HamasTerrorists</a> <a href="https://t.co/LoF6USaBGM">pic.twitter.com/LoF6USaBGM</a>
— SZR (@SZR_London) <a href="https://twitter.com/SZR_London/status/1392509392130543621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

It's not even from Gaza, but finds origins in northern Israel and was shared in November 2018 by an Israeli news agency. These are Israeli trucks that got lost on their way and entered a village. The account that posted this video has taken it down saying “please accept my apology for the bad info”.

In another case, a video&nbsp;claims to show Israelis celebrating as a fire rages at the Al-Aqsa mosque. This video is being shared widely by pro-Palestinian accounts. They say Jews harmed their mosque and danced as it burned!

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hundreds of Jewish settlers cheered and danced as a tree inside Masjid Al Aqsa was set on fire by occupying Israeli forces’ stun grenades yesterday. <a href="https://t.co/nhJgHW3IpP">pic.twitter.com/nhJgHW3IpP</a>
— 5Pillars (@5Pillarsuk) <a href="https://twitter.com/5Pillarsuk/status/1392070739277357064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The video is misleading for the mosque was never on fire, but a tree around it did due to fireworks during Jerusalem Day celebrations on May 10. Both the image and&nbsp;the video are still being widely shared on social media even in India. This misinformation and these lies could prove to be potentially deadly for both Israelis and Palestinians.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-fake-news-is-fueling-the-israel-palestine-conflict-385906/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Fatalities on the rise

The conflict is far from over and the skies are still burning on both sides with the death toll rising between May 10-17. A total of 12 people died in Israel - 10 were killed in missile attacks and two in civil unrest including a child.

In addition, 796 people have been injured. During the same period, at least 212 people have died in Palestine including 61 children and 34 women, three of whom were pregnant. Over 6,000 people have been injured in eight days of conflict. The timing for the conflict couldn’t be worse given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Gaza has only one lab to test virus cases. The health ministry says it has been destroyed in an airstrike.

In Israel, two foreign workers from Thailand have been killed in rockets fired from Gaza. Israel claims to have destroyed a rocket launching site used by Hamas in the Gaza strip. And Hamas claims to have struck Israel's Urim military base - vowing to strike more military facilities.

Amid this back and forth, both sides are failing to justify their actions. Last Saturday, Israel struck a building that housed two major media organisations - The Associated Press and Al Jazeera. Both their offices were destroyed in an air strike. Israel claimed that Hamas was using the building for its operations and promised to provide evidence for this. The Associated Press, based out of the US, first said that Israel hasn't provided it with any such evidence.&nbsp;On Tuesday evening, the US State Secretary said that “we have received some information, but it's not something I&nbsp;can comment on”.

International actions and consequences

The US is blocking a UN statement on the conflict calling for a ceasefire. The Israeli media says it's because the statement failed to condemn Hamas. Washington says it's because a ceasefire ultimately depends on the two parties involved, with or without a statement.

Reports say that the ongoing clashes have also led to a rise in anti-semitism. The UK’s Community Security Trust, a charity which looks after the safety of Jews in England says that there has been a five-fold increase in reports of anti-semitic incidents in recent days.

According to the charity, at least 86 anti-semitic incidents were reported in the UK between May 8-17. A Pakistan-based freelance writer working for the CNN put out the following tweet on Sunday - “The world today needs a Hitler”, a brazen display of hatred towards Jews.

The company in question had cut all ties with this person. Meanwhile, the international leadership remains divided. The starkest division is being seen in the Arab world.

Many Arab nations are walking a diplomatic tightrope especially countries like Morocco, Sudan and Bahrain which had recently normalised ties with Israel. Now, they have condemned the clashes but said very little about the situation in Gaza.

On the other hand, countries like Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, the Maldives, and Iran have vociferously accused Israel of terrorising Palestinians. The President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, along with the President of France Emmanuel Macron discussed mediating a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. Reports say both countries also intend to seek the support of Jordan.

“For me, it is part of the process of achieving a ceasefire as quickly as possible, which is obviously what we want, and the construction of a possible path for discussions between the various parties involved. In this respect, we have decided to have a discussion in the next few days with president Sisi and the king of Jordan to try to see together how we can make concrete proposals on this path”, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

It may still take a while for the mediation process to begin. Until then, as we watch the developments, it's imperative that we don't feed the hostility with misinformation and provocative fake news.

In the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, the gap between truth and falsehoods is growing wider by the day. A lot of credit for this goes to social media where misinformation is flourishing with fake videos and images going viral.

In the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, the gap between truth and falsehoods is growing wider by the day. A lot of credit for this goes to social media where misinformation is flourishing with fake videos and images going viral. A video showed a truck-based missile launcher moving down a civilian area. This video was first shared by a US-based pro-Israeli account and has since been shared repeatedly with the claim that it's from Gaza. It claims that Hamas is using humans as a shield against Israel. But the video is fake. Here you see a Hamas rocket launcher parking in a civilian area to use humans as shields. Let no one fool you as to the true intent of Hamas - they want death of Israelis even if it means their own die too.#IStandWithIsrael #HamasTerrorists pic.twitter.com/LoF6USaBGM — SZR (@SZR_London) May 12, 2021 × It's not even from Gaza, but finds origins in northern Israel and was shared in November 2018 by an Israeli news agency. These are Israeli trucks that got lost on their way and entered a village. The account that posted this video has taken it down saying “please accept my apology for the bad info”. In another case, a video claims to show Israelis celebrating as a fire rages at the Al-Aqsa mosque. This video is being shared widely by pro-Palestinian accounts. They say Jews harmed their mosque and danced as it burned! Hundreds of Jewish settlers cheered and danced as a tree inside Masjid Al Aqsa was set on fire by occupying Israeli forces’ stun grenades yesterday. pic.twitter.com/nhJgHW3IpP — 5Pillars (@5Pillarsuk) May 11, 2021 × The video is misleading for the mosque was never on fire, but a tree around it did due to fireworks during Jerusalem Day celebrations on May 10. Both the image and the video are still being widely shared on social media even in India. This misinformation and these lies could prove to be potentially deadly for both Israelis and Palestinians. Fatalities on the rise The conflict is far from over and the skies are still burning on both sides with the death toll rising between May 10-17. A total of 12 people died in Israel - 10 were killed in missile attacks and two in civil unrest including a child. In addition, 796 people have been injured. During the same period, at least 212 people have died in Palestine including 61 children and 34 women, three of whom were pregnant. Over 6,000 people have been injured in eight days of conflict. The timing for the conflict couldn’t be worse given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Gaza has only one lab to test virus cases. The health ministry says it has been destroyed in an airstrike. In Israel, two foreign workers from Thailand have been killed in rockets fired from Gaza. Israel claims to have destroyed a rocket launching site used by Hamas in the Gaza strip. And Hamas claims to have struck Israel's Urim military base - vowing to strike more military facilities. Amid this back and forth, both sides are failing to justify their actions. Last Saturday, Israel struck a building that housed two major media organisations - The Associated Press and Al Jazeera. Both their offices were destroyed in an air strike. Israel claimed that Hamas was using the building for its operations and promised to provide evidence for this. The Associated Press, based out of the US, first said that Israel hasn't provided it with any such evidence. On Tuesday evening, the US State Secretary said that “we have received some information, but it's not something I can comment on”. International actions and consequences The US is blocking a UN statement on the conflict calling for a ceasefire. The Israeli media says it's because the statement failed to condemn Hamas. Washington says it's because a ceasefire ultimately depends on the two parties involved, with or without a statement. Reports say that the ongoing clashes have also led to a rise in anti-semitism. The UK’s Community Security Trust, a charity which looks after the safety of Jews in England says that there has been a five-fold increase in reports of anti-semitic incidents in recent days. According to the charity, at least 86 anti-semitic incidents were reported in the UK between May 8-17. A Pakistan-based freelance writer working for the CNN put out the following tweet on Sunday - “The world today needs a Hitler”, a brazen display of hatred towards Jews. The company in question had cut all ties with this person. Meanwhile, the international leadership remains divided. The starkest division is being seen in the Arab world. Many Arab nations are walking a diplomatic tightrope especially countries like Morocco, Sudan and Bahrain which had recently normalised ties with Israel. Now, they have condemned the clashes but said very little about the situation in Gaza. On the other hand, countries like Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, the Maldives, and Iran have vociferously accused Israel of terrorising Palestinians. The President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, along with the President of France Emmanuel Macron discussed mediating a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. Reports say both countries also intend to seek the support of Jordan. “For me, it is part of the process of achieving a ceasefire as quickly as possible, which is obviously what we want, and the construction of a possible path for discussions between the various parties involved. In this respect, we have decided to have a discussion in the next few days with president Sisi and the king of Jordan to try to see together how we can make concrete proposals on this path”, French President Emmanuel Macron said. It may still take a while for the mediation process to begin. Until then, as we watch the developments, it's imperative that we don't feed the hostility with misinformation and provocative fake news.

How misinformation on social media is worsening Israel-Gaza conflict