Middle East: Israeli reservists report for Gaza City push

UK police arrested five members of the NGO Defend Our Juries, which has been campaigning against the British government's ban of another NGO, Palestine Action, as a "terrorist group."

London's Metropolitan Police confirmed three men and two women, ranging between the ages of 26 and 61, had been detained "on suspicion of encouraging support for a proscribed organization" in London and the counties of Cumbria and Yorkshire.

Defend Our Juries has organized several protests against the Palestine Action ban, leading to hundreds of arrests under anti-terror laws.

The campaigners had been due to hold an online press conference Tuesday ahead of another "Lift the Ban" protest in the British capital this weekend, but postponed the briefing after what they called the "dystopian crackdown".  

"Counter-terrorism police arrested five of Defend Our Juries' key spokespeople in dawn raids in London this morning over Lift the Ban protests," it said in a statement.

"This is scandalous," a spokesperson added, calling it "an unprecedented assault on free speech in our country."

"This level of political repression is not what we expect in a democracy. It's the kind of tactic typically associated with authoritarian regimes around the world," the spokesperson added.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said the arrests were "part of a proactive investigation" led by its counter-terrorism unit which put a stop to "activity linked to" Palestine Action.

"Those showing support for this particular group, or encouraging others to do so, can expect to be arrested, investigated and prosecuted," Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan said.

The arrests were made under the 2000 Terrorism Act, which the government used to define Palestine Action.

UK Interior Minister Yvette Cooper accuses Palestine Action of conducting "aggressive and intimidatory attacks against businesses, institutions and the public."

The group was outlawed after the it took responsibility for breaking into a Royal Air Force base in June and spraying two aircraft with red paint, causing an estimated £7 million ($10 million) in damage.

Palestine Action said its activists were protesting British arm sales to Israel, deployed during the war in Gaza.

Critics of the UK government over its decision to determine Palestine Action as a terrorist group include the United Nations and groups such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen said Tuesday that they had attacked a ship in the northern Red Sea with two drones and a missile because of its connection to Israel. 

The group did not clarify when the attack happened.

The Houthis on Sunday attacked Israeli-owned tanker Scarlet Ray near Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port city of Yanbu in a rare attack off the Saudi coast.

Last week, the rebel group also confirmed that its self-proclaimed Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in an Israeli air strike last week.

The Houthi rebels have launched hundreds of missiles and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea in response to the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023, terror attacks into southern Israel.

The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians, with their attacks over the past two years having upended shipping in the Red Sea, one of the most important maritime trade routes in the world.

Tens of thousands of Israeli army reservists have started reporting for duty, as Israel expands its offensive in and around Gaza City.

Some 40,000 reservists will report for duty, Israeli Army Radio said Tuesday. 

Israel's army said last month that at least 60,000 reservists will eventually be called up, in addition to extending the service of 20,000 reservists who have already reported for duty.

Last week, Israel declared the area around the city, the Palestinian territory's largest, a "dangerous combat zone" as it began the initial phase of its offensive to seize the city.

The move has triggered widespread condemnation abroad and is also being met with fierce opposition at home.

A meeting of Israel's Security Cabinet on Sunday night resulted in angry exchanges between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Cabinet ministers, who have been calling for the expanded offensive, and military chief Eyal Zamir, who wants Israel's political leaders to agree to a ceasefire.

Zamir reportedly said the expanded offensive will put the lives of hostages at risk and stretch the army's resources even thinner. 

Israel says the expanded offensive is needed to dismantle Hamas' stronghold in the area, where there is a vast underground tunnel network.

The area is also home to hundreds of thousands of civilians, most of whom have been displaced at least once in the past two years.

Over 11,000 Palestinians are being detained in Israeli prisons, a record number, an Israeli human rights organization has said.

According to Israel Prison Service (IPS) data until September 1 compiled by NGO HaMoked, a record 11,040 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli detention.

The number of detainees has surged since November 2023, the month after the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza began in response to Hamas terror attacks on southern Israel.

More than half the detainees are being held outside regular judicial proceedings, without charge or having been found guilty of any crime, the NGO said.

Some 3,577 "administrative detainees" are in jail without trial, while another 2,662 have been detained as "unlawful combatants," a category which does not exist in international law, HaMoked explained.

What is an 'unlawful combatant'?

Israel defines an "unlawful combatant" as someone who has taken part in "hostile acts" against it or belongs to "a force perpetrating hostile acts" against the State of Israel.

Protections allowed to prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention "do not apply" to unlawful combatants, HaMoked said. 

The NGO also pointed out that the record number of detainees does not include people from the Gaza Strip held by the Israeli military.

"Israel's treatment of security inmates violates their rights to equality, dignity, family life, education, and more, in contravention of international law," the NGO said.

Suspects under administrative detention can be held for security reasons for six months or longer without being charged. 

Detainees and their lawyers are not allowed to view evidence and cannot defend themselves because their administrative detention is based mainly on classified intelligence information, HaMoked said.

Israel's domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet says the detentions are needed to fight terrorism, but human rights groups have for decades been calling on Israel to end the practice.

Israeli strikes on an apartment and a residential building killed 13 people, Gaza's civil defense agency said.

According to the AFP news agency, citing spokesman Mahmoud Bassal, an Israeli fighter jet hit the top floor of a residential building in Gaza City, with another strike carried out by Israeli helicopters in the western part of the city.

This comes as Israel prepares for an offensive to take over Gaza City.

UN estimates suggest almost a million people live in the Palestinian city and its surroundings.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot​​ said his country will recognize a independent Palestinian stateas a state at the UN General Assembly later this month. Prevot also announced "tough sanctions" on the Israeli government.

"Any form of antisemitism or the glorification of terrorism by Hamassupporters will also be strongly condemned," Prevot posted on his X account.

According to Prevot, Belgium "had to take decisive decisions to increase the pressure on the Israeli government and the Hamas terrorists" in the face of the current situation in both the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The Belgian foreign minister called the situation in Gaza "a humanitarian tragedy" and noted "violence carried out by Israel in violation of international law."

"It's not about punishing the Israeli people, but to make sure that their government respects international and humanitarian law and takes measures to improve the situation on the ground," Prevot said.

Several countries have already announced their intent to recognize Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly later this month, including Australia, Canada, France, Malta and Portugal. The United Kingdom saying it would acknowledge a Palestinian state should Isreal not meet certain conditions.

Israel has repeatedly condemned the move, saying it rewards terrorism.

Belgium said it will join a host of other countries in recognizing Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in New York later on this month. It comes as Israel is continuing its military campaign in Gaza. 

We will be covering reactions to all of this, along with other developments from across the Middle East, right here in this blog.