Every 16 hours, the US ships arms to Israel

The top 15 "defense" contractors will log a free cash flow of $52 billion in 2026—almost doubling since 2021. In carrying out the genocide in Gaza, the US has shipped 500 loads of arms to Israel. There were 324 days between Oct 7, 2023, and Aug 26, 2024. During that time, the US delivered 500 loads of weapons. That's 324 ÷ 500 = 0.65 days per load; weapons are sent approximately every 15 hours and 36 minutes. Think about that: Every 16 hours the US sends another shipment to support Israel's program of indigenous erasure.

Update from the ground

A couple of days ago, someone on Twitter responded to one of our posts, which explained the number of Israeli military operations taking place across the West Bank and Jerusalem. They argued that using the terminology of “military operations” was a form of legitimization for the actions the Israeli state carries out against Palestinians who are captive under its rule.

This comment is critical because this commenter is not alone in making this criticism. It is not rare that people reach out to us, asking why we use descriptive terms that “legitimize” Israeli actions, such as “military” or “settlement”. Folks will argue that these terms not only legitimize, but often have a positive connotation. To that, I must respond that any positive connotation or legitimization that our friends and comrades elsewhere in the world (though usually, generally, in the West) might associate with these terms requires some serious self-reflection. State military action around the world is often illegitimate, but it is important that we describe it as “military” in order to illustrate that it is an official body associated with the state carrying out this action. Settlement, too, has an essential descriptive role that cannot be severed from the academic analysis of settler-colonialism as a distinct form of colonialism and domination. We invite our friends to reflect on the language we all use and the assumptions we make about it according to our place in the world and the experiences we embody. Part of imagining a new, liberated world is accurately describing and understanding the one we live in today.

Gaza Updates

• Today, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that the documented death toll in Gaza — which includes only those who have been brought to hospitals and identified — has reached 40,476. 93,547 have been documented wounded. The total death toll in Gaza since October 7, 2023, is expected to be closer to 200,000 people.
• Israel’s genocidal bombardment of Gaza continues from the air, land, and sea, supported by the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and many other countries. Israeli forces continue to target schools and other shelters housing internally displaced Palestinians, as well as civilian infrastructure.
• Between August 19 and 24, Israel gave five new evacuation orders to Palestinians in Gaza — the largest number issued in a single week. Only about 11% of Gaza has not been targeted by evacuation orders until this time. 16 orders have been issued since the start of August, impacting more than 250,000 people.
• The population of Gaza is increasingly forced to concentrate in the Israeli-designated zone of Al Mawasi, which lacks critical infrastructure and basic necessities. The overcrowding, with as many as 34,000 internally displaced persons per square kilometer, exacerbates the severe shortage of essential resources (water, food, sanitation and hygiene resources, health services, shelter, and protection).
• According to the Water Sanitation and Hygiene Cluster (WASH), Israeli forces’ recent evacuation orders in Deir al Balah have made 15 of 18 water wells unusable, reducing the water production capacity by 80%.
• On August 26, it was reported that many Palestinians fled the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital area in Deir al Balah following an order from Israeli forces to evacuate the area. People in the area expressed a fear of an attack on the hospital in the style of the Al Shifa Hospital massacre, during which Israeli forces perpetrated and left behind many horrors, including several mass graves of Palestinian civilians, patients, and doctors.
• While most of the patients, family, and staff have evacuated the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital, approximately 100 patients who cannot be evacuated remain in the hospital, as well as some staff who refused to leave the patients to die. The Ministry of Health affirms that the hospital will continue to operate and that the remaining health staff are committed to their mission.
• Other hospitals, such as the Kamal Adwan and Indonesian Hospitals, renewed their appeals for the urgent delivery of fuel to keep their electricity generators operating.
• Israeli attacks on hospitals have continued as well, with Israeli forces using drones to strike the PRCS Al Amal Hospital’s Rehabilitation unit on August 24. Luckily, no staff or patients were harmed.
• As of August 20, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO), reported 505 health attacks carried out by Israeli forces against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. These resulted in 752 people murdered, 982 injured, 32 hospitals, and 63 ambulances damaged.
• An estimated 50,000 Palestinian children have been born in the past ten months and have not received any immunizations, including immunization for polio. This is due to the continuous attacks on Gaza’s entire health system by Israel, which have led to serious large-scale health concerns, including the first documented case of polio.
• The first documented case of polio was found in a 10-month-old baby, unvaccinated due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, who contracted the virus and has now developed paralysis in one leg.
• Polio vaccines arrived in Gaza today. The vaccination campaign is expected to begin on August 31, 2024, and will continue for about a week. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society expects this campaign will benefit as many as 640,000 children across Gaza.

Calls to Action

Of course, the situation of heightened colonial violence is not limited to Gaza. While the genocide continues, Palestinians across Palestine face increasing levels of settler violence, particularly in Jerusalem, in refugee camps, and in the more isolated communities across the West Bank. The settler violence works hand-in-glove with state forces, with both groups often standing side-by-side while enacting different forms of eliminatory violence.

As folks work to stand in solidarity with Palestinians experiencing colonial violence all across Palestine, here are some options you can engage in:

1. New Yorkers, support this September 2 event by Within Our Lifetime and Healthcare Workers for Palestine.
2. Canadians, join this event or organize your own on September 5.
3. Give to Gaza Funds, a website that compiles vetted requests for support from Palestinians in Gaza.
4. Adopt a fundraiser from Gaza Funds or elsewhere, and encourage friends, family, comrades, and strangers to support those in need of material solidarity. This is an accessible option for folks who cannot afford to give financially.
5. Sign up for a workshop offered by Workshops 4 Gaza, which offers learning opportunities in exchange for donations to fundraising campaigns.
6. Buy a book here to support one of the fundraisers uplifted by the Workshops 4 Gaza organizers.

Please reach out with any questions or requests to uplift additional action items.

Until liberation and return,

Lara