The leader of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), Jake Wood, stepped down on Sunday, saying he could no longer the organization’s aid distribution plan because it went against basic humanitarian values. Wood, a former U.S. Marine, had only been in the role for two months. He had previously said he was “horrified and heartbroken” by the hunger crisis in Gaza and felt driven to help. 1d6s1

His resignation raises serious doubts about the controversial Israel-backed plan to deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza, a plan that has already faced heavy criticism from international groups and human rights organizations. According to the BBC, the GHF plan, which also has U.S. , involves using private contractors to deliver aid through specific distribution points in southern Gaza that Israel has approved.

Palestinians would then pick up boxes weighing up to 20 kilograms containing food and basic hygiene supplies. This approach has been widely criticized, with concerns that it will be difficult for vulnerable groups to access the aid. This includes the elderly, disabled, injured, and those living far from the distribution points.

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation leader has resigned 6u74h

The United Nations has outright refused to take part in the plan. The UN’s aid chief, Tom Fletcher, described it as a scheme that would force more people to leave their homes, limit aid to a small area, and use hunger as a negotiation tool. Similar worries were expressed by Jonathan Crick, a spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund, who asked how mothers in difficult situations would be able to carry such heavy packages.

In his resignation statement, Wood stressed that it has become “clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.” While he recognized that the plan tried to balance humanitarian needs with security concerns, he ultimately decided these principles could not be maintained.

The GHF board, however, responded by saying they would not be discouraged and would start delivering aid on Monday, with the goal of reaching one million Palestinians by the end of the week. They accused critics of caring more about keeping things the same than actually getting aid to people. It is hard to deny as we have seen plenty of situations where aid sat stranded or the U.S. ignored the country.

Israel defends the GHF plan by arguing it is needed to stop Hamas from taking control of the aid, a claim Hamas denies. An Israeli official said the goal is to make Gaza’s population less reliant on Hamas. Still, the plan has faced strong skepticism about where its funding comes from, how it was created, and whether it is logistically possible. The New York Times looked into the GHF’s origins and suggested it may have been developed in Israel by a group of Israeli officials, military officers, and business partners.

The organization’s funding sources are unclear, and reports say potential donors in Europe and Asia have pulled their . There are also concerns about whether the GHF can actually manage aid distribution effectively, especially given its logistical plans and cooperation with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

No humanitarian aid has reached Palestinians in Gaza despite Israel‘s recent agreement to allow a minimal amount of supplies into the enclave. The agreement came after Israel faced mounting international criticism for its blockade amid growing warnings of an impending famine in Gaza.

According to UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, “a few dozen” trucks carrying flour, medicines, and nutrition supplies were permitted to through the Israeli fence into the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing. However, according to The Washington Post, aid workers were unable to transport these supplies to warehouses as Israeli officials made them wait several hours for access and required them to unload and reload the supplies onto separate trucks. The aid workers ran out of time before dark, leaving the supplies stranded.

The situation highlights the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where civilians like Wissam, a father of six displaced to the tented area of Mawasi in southern Gaza Strip, struggle to feed their families. Wissam can only provide his family with one meal per day, consisting of lentils served at 11:45 in the morning, without bread due to flour shortages lasting over a month. “I hope that it comes soon,” he said, referring to the aid being held at the border. “We need it to survive.”

International pressure mounts as minimal aid proves insufficient 5u4y47

Israel has faced increasing pressure from allies to lift its blockade on Gaza. Britain suspended free trade negotiations with Israel, while European Union member states pledged to review commercial ties, urging Israel to allow more aid into Gaza. The blockade had been implemented since March 2, described by Israel as an attempt to pressure Hamas into releasing remaining hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently stated that “minimal” aid deliveries would be permitted into Gaza “for practical and diplomatic reasons,” noting that Israel’s allies had told him they could not “handle pictures of mass starvation.” However, aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières criticized the move, calling the “ridiculously inadequate amount of aid” a “smokescreen to pretend the siege is over.”

In a separate development, the United Arab Emirates reached an agreement with Israeli authorities to deliver food into Gaza. The initial phase of this agreement aims to address the food needs of 15,000 people. Meanwhile, Palestinians anxiously await aid in hopes it will alleviate inflation that has significantly increased prices for basic necessities such as flour. Despite these developments, military operations continue, with the Israeli Air Force reporting over 115 strikes throughout Gaza in a single day, alongside naval strikes in northern Gaza conducted in cooperation with ground troops.

It’s difficult to comprehend the true horror of what’s happening in the Gaza Strip right now. Israel has turned this cramped urban area into a killing field, preventing food and water from reaching starving citizens and continually bombarding the already destroyed city, with the UN warning that 14,000 babies are facing a miserable death.

Those still alive are starving and dying of thirst in the rubble of their homes as the death toll skyrockets, with tragic confirmation arriving this morning that a week-old baby was amongst last night’s casualties.

Even Israel’s staunchest allies are appalled. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert said that Israel’s current actions are “very close to a war crime” (I think we’re already way past “very close” buddy), countries like , the United Kingdom and Canada are rapidly retracting , and retired Israeli general Yair Golan said: “A sane country doesn’t engage in fighting against civilians, doesn’t kill babies as a hobby and doesn’t set for itself the goals of expelling a population.”

Astonishingly, this is not a view shared by this Israeli politician. Moshe Feiglin, the leader of the Zehut party, gave an interview on the situation in Gaza and explained his unbashedly pro-baby-killing stance, saying (in Hebrew, translated to English), “Every child, every baby in Gaza is an enemy”:

משה פייגלין בערוץ 14: "כל תינוק בעזה הוא אויב"https://t.co/aJTGF66AsI

— מעריב אונליין (@MaarivOnline) May 20, 2025

To make sure he’s not being misunderstood, Feiglin underlined his views:  “The enemy is not Hamas, nor is it the military wing of Hamas, as our military commander tells us, that we are forbidden to harm a Hamasnik unless he is part of the military wing. Every child in Gaza is the enemy. We need to occupy Gaza and settle it, and not a single Gazan child will be left there. There is no other victory.”

How can anyone this? 6s5r16

At this point, you may be able to figure out why Israel’s ers are currently having a serious crisis of conscience. After all, it’s one thing to wholeheartedly Israel “defending itself” from armed militants, it’s quite another to nakedly say that the IDF must exterminate babies and children to achieve victory.

Whether there will ever be any consequences for barbaric and monstrous comments like these remains to be seen. In an ideal world, itting this would give you a one-way ticket to the Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity. But, as you may have noticed given the horrible news emerging from Gaza each day, we don’t live in an ideal world.

All we can hope is that the wheels of justice are indeed turning slowly and that people who cheerlead the destruction of infants as a way to illegally seize territory face justice. In the meantime, if you’re frantically trying to figure out a way to justify this, don’t bother. These are words straight from the mouth of an Israeli politician, reflecting the very real reality on the ground in Gaza. If you what Israel is doing, you this. Own it.

The Gaza Strip is currently the worst place in the world. Israel’s 11-week “aid blockade” has resulted in a man-made famine, compounded by constant bombardment of the already smashed city, with the UN giving the urgent warning that unless urgent steps are taken, within the next 48 hours, 14,000 babies will die.

It’s gotten to the point where even the most steadfast defenders of Israel have begun to look at themselves and wonder, “…are we the baddies"> for Israel is plummeting while sympathy for Palestinians is reaching new highs. Sadly, the Trump istration is firmly locked in behind Netanyahu’s plans to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its residents and build a holiday resort on top of their bones.

Where we go from here is unknown, though it seems likely that widespread revulsion of Israel will continue to increase as the reality of what they’re inflicting on civilians sinks in. Whether that can ever translate into action against Israel or whether the “genocidal maniacs” that run the country will face consequences for their crimes remains to be seen.

The growing conflict in Gaza has led to a terrible humanitarian crisis, with more than 100 Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes in just one day. This increase in violence happened during President Trump’s trip to the Middle East, a visit that did not include Israel, and where the President said very little publicly about the worsening situation.

The Israeli blockade of Gaza, which has been enforced since early March, has completely stopped humanitarian aid, medicine, and basic supplies from getting in. According to reports from NBC News, the United Nations claims this move essentially uses hunger as a way to pressure Hamas in negotiations. This is a common tactic in war.

The blockade has made an already terrible situation even worse, leaving civilians with almost no food or water. A community kitchen in Jabalia shows how hard Palestinians struggle to survive, as even donated food is difficult to get. The shortage of basic necessities, along with constant airstrikes, has left people feeling hopeless. Yet, Trump left the area without any real mention, as reported by NBC.

Trump leaves Gaza on its own 4d1e6r

While President Trump’s Middle East trip included several countries, he barely spoke about the crisis in Gaza. He mentioned wanting to create a “freedom zone” in Gaza but did not explain how this would happen. His way of handling the conflict has been very different from that of past U.S. presidents, as he did not talk about human rights with Middle Eastern leaders.

A young boy was killed in the strikes, and his uncle said “When you meet God, tell him they left Gaza alone — without food, without water, without hope,” during his burial.

Behind the conflict, there is also a growing disagreement between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Reports say their strained relationship comes from two main issues: the war in Gaza and the threat from Iran. Trump seems frustrated with Netanyahu’s increased military attacks in Gaza, while Netanyahu is unhappy that Trump has not ed military action against Iran’s nuclear sites and disagrees with his approach to the war in Yemen.

Trump has not helped the situation much, claiming he could just “take over” Gaza. Making the conflict even more complicated is the ongoing violence in the occupied West Bank. This includes an Israeli military raid that killed five of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad.

This raid happened after an attack where an Israeli woman, who was pregnant, died during childbirth, though her baby lived. The rising violence shows how unstable the region is and how deep the tensions are that keep this conflict going.

The total number of deaths since the current escalation began in October 2023 is shocking. Palestinian health officials say more than 53,000 people have died in Gaza, while Israeli officials report around 1,200 deaths and about 250 hostages taken in Israel after Hamas attacks. These numbers show just how many lives this conflict has cost and why there is an urgent need for peace.

For the most part, people understand how Mahmoud Khalil’s First Amendment Rights are being brutally violated. Then, there are… others. These others are usually the same people who advocate for the freedom of speech of individuals who burn Qurans in front of Muslim people, or the proudly racist DOGE kid.

“And this is why I voted for Trump,” writes a commenter on a TikTok video with the name @neoaryan784trump – great euphemism, sir – celebrating the March 9 arrest of the Pro-Palestine activist and green card holder. In a Jubilee debate aired on March 10, a Donald Trump er rhetorically asked Sam Seder, “What’s wrong with xenophobic nationalism? Don’t you think that’s better for Americans in general?”

With comments such as these, every day, there is less and less reason to doubt that this is another reason why President Trump is dismantling — and wants to get rid of — the Department of Education. Also, one can only imagine Paine, Jefferson, Franklin, and Morris tossing and turning in their graves because their beloved Constitution simply isn’t a thing that is respected anymore. It’s a document that’s weaponized, twisted, and bent to fit whatever version of reality partisans staunchly believe in.

In the clip above, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) talks in hypotheticals. As of this writing, there is no proof that Khalil is in association with a terrorist organization and is not simply exercising his First Amendment rights. The Center for Constitutional Rights, which is suing the Trump istration in an effort to have Khalid returned, also cites a violation of the Fifth Amendment as a basis for their lawsuit.

Also, there’s the Fourteenth Amendment, which grants equal protection under the law and a right to due process to all people, citizen and non-citizen alike.  

Most people understand what’s happening and the violations being made to rights that should be unalienable, but others shut their brains to it. Let’s unpack that.

It’s a clear escalation towards a terrifying future 1e3a72

The TikToker above, @localwinemum, who’s from , puts it in quite plain : the version of “freedom of speech” wielded by the Trump istration, is an all-purpose protection cape that can only be placed upon those who serve their interests or, at the very least, don’t go against them – but Donald Trump’s bizarre AI dream of a luxurious Gaza riviera where he may sunbathe on the beach next to Bibi is fine, apparently.

The fact that now, it’s not a so-called “illegal alien” who’s being threatened with deportation – and mocked by the White House official social media – but a green card holder should tell you enough about the escalation of political repression that’s occurring. As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) pointed out in a post: “If the federal government can disappear a legal US permanent resident without reason or warrant, then they can disappear US citizens too.”

The fact that there are people who would say “deport the wife too” is the reason why we got here. We’ve entered the regime of “everything that is not with us is therefore against us.” The wife in question is an American citizen, 8 months pregnant with her and Mahmoud Khalil’s first child.

As Drew Westen writes, when partisans encounter a conflict between their candidate of choice’s deeds and their words, their brains “manage to shut down distress through faulty reasoning,” and it does that quite quickly. In other words, as Jonathan Haidt would call it, it triggers their immediate moral intuition: “If you ask people to believe something that violates their intuitions, they will devote their efforts to finding an escape hatch—a reason to doubt your argument or conclusion.”

Words, like laws, change over time, acquire new connotations, and undergo shifts in association depending on the interpreter and their cultural or social circle. Also, words are also vehicles of manipulation. For example: Not everything that is labelled “terrorism” actually is, but because people experience strong feelings when they hear the word – particularly in the U.S.– it can trigger an almost fight-or-flight reaction that prevents critical reasoning.

The phrase “illegal protest” is being used by the Trump istration in the most purposefully vague way; any protesters could fall under that umbrella, and become subject to persecution, prosecution, imprisonment, or deportation. The open-endedness fits the Trump agenda, while completely ignoring the fact that Jan. 6 happened.

As the American TikToker above points out, “Pro-Palestine” and “Pro-Hamas” have been used interchangeably when that’s not the case. Some people have begun not to be able to tell the two apart. And that’s why they cheer for the potential deportation of a peaceful protest organizer and legal permanent citizen whose American wife is awaiting their first child in a month.

Because no change can stem from the ive feeling of hopelessness, it’d be appropriate to end on a hopeful note. The TikToker above, who shares my nationality, and my concern for what’s happening and those affected. She’s correct in her reasoning that the most vulnerable American communities should consider leaving before the worst happens to them, except for one thing: some people just can’t leave.

Moreover, if the solution is to leave every time a country’s government does a heel turn on democracy, that would be kicking the can down the road. Make no mistake: an ultra-nationalist movement has swept through America, but also rippled across the world. The solution — as the New York protesters exemplify — to be brave and speak out, to show up in favor of democracy, and to make it clear that this move toward autocracy will not go unchallenged.

Donald Trump has a shining vision for Gaza. Spurred on by Benjamin Netanyahu, he dreams of a glitzy and glamorous futuristic Israeli beachside resort, with a colossal shining Trump Hotel at the center. And the Palestinians who currently live there? Well, what’s one more genocide between friends?

Now Trump has given us a peek inside his fantasy courtesy of a truly bonkers AI-generated video. This begins with dusty, bombed-out streets (huh, wonder how they got like that) and segues into a MAGA daydream: people flying golden Trump head balloons, a giant golden Trump statue, shelves of mini-Trump idols in gift shops, Trump himself in a seedy nightclub ogling a scantily clad young woman (maybe the one non-AI-generated part?) and, of course, random footage of Elon Musk scarfing down hummus.

Trump just posted this AI video of what he plans to do with Gaza.

It ends with him and Benjamin Netanyahu sitting on a beach in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/PktGR9a2No

— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) February 26, 2025

This nightmare is set to a (presumably also AI-generated) upbeat song promising “No more tunnels, no more fear / Trump Gaza is finally here.” But the eagle-eyed among you might have spotted that “Trump Gaza” may well end up inadvertently being some kind of gender-inclusive woke paradise.

At the 15-second mark, we see two belly dancers strutting their stuff on the beach… both of whom appear to be sporting impressive beards. We won’t presume the gender identity of these dancers, though at least we can rest easy Trump Gaza is confirmed to be a fully inclusive place where all xenogenders, sexual orientations, and expressions of identity are not merely tolerated but actively celebrated in public.

The belly dancers with full beards are my favourite part of Trump’s Gaza vision. What a lunatic. pic.twitter.com/oo2K4vVXRf

— Ian Berriman (@ianberriman) February 26, 2025

Or maybe this is just the inevitable consequence of relying on mindless AI slop. At this point, posting AI garbage seems par for the course for Trump, though whatever team runs his social media will probably get yelled at for not even watching the garbage closely to ensure it didn’t undermine his message.

Getting mad at this low-effort trolling arguably means Trump’s camp wins, though that doesn’t make what one described as “ethnic cleansing rebranded as a real estate deal” any less evil.

For clarity, Trump’s stated plan for the territory is to “just clean out that whole thing” and forcibly transfer any inhabitants to Egypt and Jordan. And those who won’t abandon their homes so Trump Gaza can rise from the ashes? Unknown — though we suspect archaeologists in the distant future will puzzle over why so many human remains were entombed on concrete in this particular spot.

Trump to his base: "I've signed executive orders to recognise only two sexes and have scrapped DEI policies. But I will NOT be told that I can't have bearded belly dancers entertaining me and Benjamin Netanyahu on the beach at my Trump Gaza resort." pic.twitter.com/zHCinyqzBk

— Moog (@a_toots) February 26, 2025

Whatever the case, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said he would refuse to be a part of this horror, describing it as “an injustice that we will not participate in.” Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi followed suit by saying the country’s position on Gaza is “irreversible and unchanged.”

Make no mistake, vultures are circling over Gaza and much of the world is determined to look the other way and ignore these crimes against humanity. Let’s just hope Trump’s AI-generated nightmare of him being worshiped as a golden god in a dystopian blood-soaked future remains confined to the fevered imagination of a computer.

Welcome to week three in Donald Trump’s chaotic America, where no decision is permanent and few politicians are qualified.

Trump and his base have been raging against DEI for months, firmly fingering it as the root of America’s problems. While his istration swears that diversity, equity, and inclusion have eroded the foundations of our government, he’s stacked his cabinet with so many unqualified incompetents that we have to assume he only takes resumes from the “rejects” pile. It’ll be a fascinating four years as his Kabinet of Korrupt Kooks speed-runs Anthony Scarmucci’s record for shortest time in office.

Showing off his “true genius,” Trump has decided that the U.S. should simply “take over” Gaza, even though essentially everyone but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thinks it’s a bad idea. But if it means the rich have somewhere else they don’t have to pay taxes, it’s almost certain to reach fruition. Upping the bad decision ante, the president is also suing CBS for $10 billion (yes, you read that correctly) for how the network edited Kamala Harris’ 60 Minutes interview. We aren’t sure what’s making our eyes water more — the absurd amount of money, or the tears of laughter over the demise of Fox News (we’re devastated for you, Jesse Watters.)

Meanwhile, perpetual screecher Marjorie Taylor Greene is gushing about her favorite boss on X, but her word choice is way too close to how pet parents gush about their elderly dogs on an energetic day. Sure, that poochie dodders sometimes, but boy, is she “healthy” and “sharp” today! When she’s not scrawling “Mrs. Marjorie Trump” in her diary, the Georgian is happily accusing the left of trying to plan an insurrection — something she suddenly has a problem with despite January 6 now being a household name and date.

Democrats — and even some RINO Republicans — aren’t taking Trump’s nonsense lying down. Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries has been flexing his chops, proving he was the right person to succeed Nancy Pelosi, and right alongside him is former congressman Adam Kinzinger, who’s willing to pick fights with Trump and Musk even though he left office in 2023. It just goes to show that even when everything seems to be going wrong, there are still plenty of people willing to fight for what’s right.

Tim Walz says what we’re all thinking about President Elon Musk 2e4u4b

Much has been said about the tragedy of Kamala Harris not making it into the White House, but let’s also extend a sympathetic hug to her running mate Tim Walz, who was likewise denied the chance to spend four years as vice president/America’s slightly boring if benign uncle.

Technically, he’s been supplanted by JD Vance, but, come on ⏤ we all know who Trump’s real number two is. It’s the Evil Emperor of X himself, everyone’s least-favorite Iron Man 2 guest star, the high-falutin’, Twitter-pollutin’, Nazi-salutin’ Elon Musk. This week, Walz reminded us all how much saner things could have been if he and Harris were in power by offering his scathing take on Trump’s istration thus far ⏤ in the form of a sassy clapback against Musk on his own platform, no less.

“Elon Musk is a terrible president,” Walz tweeted, which manages to be a glorious dig at both President Musk and Whatever Trump Is in one beautifully biting six-word package. Tim, buddy: where was this kind of sass during the election campaign? Not to pin all this on you, but maybe — just maybe — if you had displayed a little more of this energy last fall, Andy Samberg wouldn’t have lost out on a recurring SNL gig for the next four years.

Donald Trump’s tyrannical tantrum continues with fresh threats aimed at Gaza and 60 Minutes 2t5k5j

No one can throw a fit quite like Donald J. Trump, and he’s making sure no one forgets it as he pursues dual attacks against very different targets. The first is 60 Minutes, and by extension CBS News, which Trump aims to sue for an eye-watering $10 billion. He’s accusing the network of trying to “mislead the public” with its 2024 coverage of Kamala Harris ⏤ never mind that he declined his own invitation to appear on the show. If he succeeds in his brazen attack on the First Amendment, it’ll be bad news for us all — not the least of whom being his own crazed cronies over at Fox News.

But it’s Trump’s threats toward Gaza that are really stirring up ire across the globe following the brainless Commander-in-Chief’s assertion that the United States should simply “take over” Gaza. He and his wealthy, soulless peers see the area as a lucrative business opportunity and are not overly concerned about the more than 2 million people who live there. After all, they can just shift them out (who cares about the “where”), claim their land (that they have exactly zero right to), and reshape it into something that further enriches them, right? But yeah, Kamala Harris was too “pro-Israel.”

To get the rest of the political tea, which this week includes actual leadership from Hakeem Jeffries and Adam Kinzinger, MTG’s growing thirst for Toddler Trump, and Jasmine Crockett’s view on “mediocre white boys,” be sure to sign up for WGTC’s They Said What?! Newsletter.

First, it was Greenland. Then came his bizarre musings about the Panama Canal, and, for reasons no one can explain, Canada. Now, Donald Trump has set his sights on Gaza — one of the most politically volatile, war-ravaged, and contested strips of land in the entire world.

Somehow, in the mind of the former property shark, solving one of the most complex, generations-spanning conflicts in modern history involves kicking out its 1.8 million residents, and turning it into a Middle Eastern Malibu. On Feb. 4, 2024, Trump boldly announced that the “U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip.” Standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump described his grand vision: “We’ll own it… We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal… the Riviera of the Middle East.”

Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, also floated the idea last year. Kushner called Gaza’s coastline “very valuable” and suggested “cleaning it up.”  He sees it as a waterfront property. Essentially, the plan is to evict an entire population like they’re tenants who forgot to pay the rent. And where should they go? According to Trump, they should just… go somewhere else. Other countries, maybe? Camps? The moon? Who knows. Gaza is seen by Palestinians as an integral part of their future state, alongside the West Bank. Trump’s plan essentially tells them to just give up on that dream.

Trump didn’t bother providing any specifics about how this grand plan would actually, you know, work. Arab and Palestinian leaders rejected it outright, seeing it as yet another slap in the face to their dreams of statehood. Hamas, already in the middle of tense negotiations with Israel after a brutal 15-month war, obviously wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of their people being forcibly relocated. Even Israel, which has long struggled with its own Gaza policies, isn’t exactly jumping at the idea of Uncle Sam rolling in and turning the Strip into a beachfront resort.

Rebuilding Gaza is necessary 62d5e

The place has been devastated by years of war, neglect, and blockades. There are literal mountains of rubble, unexploded bombs waiting to claim more lives, and no reliable water, electricity, or infrastructure. Schools are gone. Hospitals are gone. Homes are gone. That doesn’t mean it’s open season for anyone with a savior complex to swoop in and claim it as their next big “project.”

There are people here living in unimaginable conditions. It’s their home. Their land. Their lives. And the fact that anyone, let alone Trump, thinks they can just roll up, bulldoze the rubble and the people is as offensive as it is absurd. What’s even more insulting is the mindset behind it. To look at a place that’s been battered and broken by decades of violence and suffering and think, “You know what this needs? A rebrand.”

What Gaza needs is justice. ability. A chance for its people to rebuild their lives—not be shoved aside, erased, or treated like an unfortunate inconvenience in the way of some billionaire’s fantasy of a Mediterranean playground. Let’s that the the U.S. has zero legal claim to Gaza. None. Zilch. So how exactly does Trump plan to “take over?” Military intervention? A hostile takeover? A strongly worded tweet? Who knows. What we do know is that this plan is as unworkable as it is unethical.

The U.S. has been playing puppet master in the Middle East for generations. From overthrowing governments to propping up dictators, they’ve meddled in every corner of the region — not to help, but to exploit. Oil, arms deals, geopolitical power plays — it’s all just a game. Iraq? Turned into a wasteland. Syria? Torn apart by proxy wars. Afghanistan? Left in ruins after 20 years of occupation. The U.S. doesn’t bring “freedom” to the Middle East — it brings drones, sanctions, and instability, all while patting itself on the back for being the “good guy.”

Israel has been the U.S.’s partner-in-crime, carrying out its own atrocities while conveniently playing victim. How do you justify bulldozing Palestinian homes, stealing land, and blockading Gaza to the point of starvation? Easy — just call it “security.” The Middle East doesn’t need more meddling devils masquerading as saviors.

After months of bloodshed and untold misery, a ceasefire is finally in place in Gaza. Prisoners on both sides are being returned to their jubilant families and, while the underlying conflict is far from resolved and the returning Gazans face a painful struggle to rebuild their lives, at least the bombs and bullets have stopped flying.

And the man we have to thank for this is… Donald Trump? Yeah, I know, we live in weird times huh? Just for the moment, let’s leave everything awful about Trump aside for a moment and zero in on this particular series of events. For months on end, the Biden istration had been fruitlessly trying to negotiate an end (or even a pause) to the Gaza conflict, only to find their efforts ignored, rebuffed, and undermined.

Biden never wavered from his firm pro-Israel stance and, while there were hemmings and hawings about theoretical U.S. arms restrictions after various IDF atrocities, his istration steadfastly backed, armed, and defended Israel long after it became clear the issue was an electoral liability.

Most (including me) assumed Trump would follow a similar if not worse trajectory. In his first term, he was a bolted-on Israel cheerleader, notably spearheading the move of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. At first glance, Trump’s second term would appear to be a license for Benjamin Netanyahu to continue his war without even the ineffectual grumblings of the Democratic Party to worry him.

This hasn’t happened. In a whirlwind of diplomacy and mediation, Trump’s envoy Steven Witkoff brought the two sides together and has hammered out a deal. It’s fair to argue that the reasons behind this urgency are probably self-serving: a successful Gaza ceasefire gives Trump a big win going into his inauguration, will boost his approval numbers, and makes him look more effective than Biden. On a personal level, Trump may simply not have wanted to deal with this poisonous foreign policy headache any more than he absolutely had to.

But whatever the reason for it, Trump’s pointed comment to both sides that “all hell will break out” if prisoners on both sides weren’t released and a ceasefire wasn’t in place by his inauguration forced concessions. Prime Minister Netanyahu, by now long used to doing whatever he wants, has suddenly found his leash firmly yanked by Trump. So, despite opening himself to intense domestic criticism from far-right Israeli politicians, he’s been forced to release Palestinian prisoners and — no doubt gritting his teeth — absorb videos of wild celebrations in Gaza and cheering Hamas fighters.

All of this means that, somehow, Donald Trump is now an obvious candidate — if not the frontrunner — for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Yeah, I feel as lightheaded writing that as you did reading it. The prize, considered the most prestigious award in the world, is given to people or organizations that have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Note that the award does not seem to care about the motives behind the creation of peace, meaning even if Trump just did this to make his own life easier, he still stopped the war.

The murmurs that he’s now in contention have already begun online:

It’s also been theorized that Trump is doing this specifically because he wants the Nobel Peace Prize. U.S. academic Marc Lamont Hill sounds skeptical about Trump’s reasoning, but agrees that if the incoming president really has stopped the war and helped establish a secure Palestinian state: “I’ll fly over and hand him the award.”

But let’s get some perspective for a moment. While Trump may have (maybe) done one good thing, we’re about to see an avalanche of really bad things emanating from the Oval Office. Even if Trump can take credit for the Gaza ceasefire, it’d be difficult to argue he should get a Nobel Peace Prize if he’s in the middle of, say, invading Greenland. Plus, if he does get one, that they once handed out a Nobel Peace Prize to Henry Kissinger, so it’s far from the ultimate seal of moral greatness.

Celebrities, influencers, and everyday social media s have all united under the hashtag #AllEyesOnRafah. But what exactly is happening in this corner of the world that has captured the attention of millions?

Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt, has become the epicenter of a humanitarian crisis. With Israel‘s announcement of a planned ground operation targeting Hamas’ four brigades believed to be located in the strip, half of Gaza’s two million residents have been forced to flee their homes, seeking refuge in the already overcrowded city. The image that’s gone viral shows an aerial view of Rafah filled with tents meticulously arranged to spell out “All Eyes on Rafah.” Despite being AI-generated, the urgency and reality it represents are very real.

The turning point came on May 26, 2024, when an Israeli airstrike tore through the al-Mawasi neighborhood in western Rafah, claiming the lives of at least 45 civilians. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that al-Mawasi had previously been declared a safe zone. Just days later, another devastating attack on the camps west of Rafah killed more civilians, with women making up the majority of the victims. These incidents, coming on the heels of the International Court of Justice’s order for Israel to halt its offensive, have sparked international outrage and condemnation.

At universities across the United States, including UCLA, Columbia, and the University of Texas at Austin, students, faculty, and broader university communities are increasingly engaging in protests and discussions, particularly concerning the conflict in Gaza and the U.S. role in it. President Joe Biden and the White House have been under increasing scrutiny regarding their policies towards the conflict. However, the White House maintains a specific threshold for its  , citing that Israel has not yet crossed a “red line” that would trigger a reevaluation of U.S. military .

It’s easy to get lost in the numbers and become numb to the statistics that flash across our screens. But behind every casualty, every displaced person, is a story – a life cut short, a family torn apart, a dream shattered. Regardless of where you stand on this whole Israel-Palestine debacle, there is no denying that the civilians are dying. Since the conflict intensified in October 2023, the Gaza Ministry of Health reports that over 36,000 people have been killed. It’s these stories that the #AllEyesOnRafah movement seeks to amplify. 

And as Dolores O’Riordan hauntingly puts it in The Cranberries’ song Zombie:

But you see, it’s not me, it’s not my family
In your head, in your head, they are fighting
With their tanks and their bombs and their bombs and their guns
In your head, in your head, they are crying

It’s just all in your head. So, it might easy to disconnect, to think it’s all just a distant problem and let these stories wash over us as just another tragic news cycle, but let’s resist that urge.

ICC, short for The International Criminal Court, is an intergovernmental judiciary organization in force internationally since 2002. But what does it do exactly?

The ICC was established through The Rome Statute treaty in July 1998, and came into force in 2002 as the first and only active permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for certain inhumane crimes. Currently presided over by Karim Khan as the prosecutor of the court, the ICC has recently gained traction for seeking arrest warrants in the ongoing seven-month-long war in Gaza between the Israeli government and Hamas.

According to the UN, the ICC was created with the “millions of children, women and men” in mind who “have been victims of unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of humanity.” Thus, it has been given the power to prosecute individuals accused of four grave crimes: Genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

What are the powers of the ICC? s6q2v

Though the ICC is an international organization, it is an independent court, and can only assert its power in its member countries. It is legally independent of the United Nations, but endorsed by the General Assembly unlike the ICJ, which is an organ of the UN.

The ICC lacks any armed force, and depends on cooperation from the law enforcement of its to apprehend those charged with crimes. However, the court does not replace national courts, and instead stands a court of last resort. The ICC can only intervene in cases falling within the court’s purview, in which grave crimes have been committed, and where legal authorities in the State are unwilling or unable to resolve said issues.

It also cannot put individuals on trial from non-member countries, since it is barred from trying individuals in their absence. This limits the power and authority of the ICC significantly, since some major superpowers like the United States, China, and Russia are not of the court. Due to this, last year’s arrest warrant for the President of Russia Vladimir Putin due to his criminal involvement with the Russia-Ukraine war resulted in no actions, because Russia doesn’t recognize the court’s power.

How does the ICC work? 6o170

Abiding by the morally correct practices, all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt before the ICC. Each defendant is entitled to public and impartial proceedings with a representing lawyer. The court also seeks to protect the safety and physical and psychological integrity of all victims and witnesses, while allowing them critical rights. Among the rights is the right to follow the proceedings in a language they fully understand.

What has the ICC done so far? 4a4p1r

The International Criminal Court (ICC) detention cell in the Dutch city of The Hague is home to 21 of the 46 arrest warrants the court has issued since its founding. There are now 31 cases on its docket. The court has been effective in prosecuting people for war crimes, including those committed in Srebrenica, that were carried out in the former Yugoslavia.

The court has also investigated some of the world’s most violent conflicts, including in Darfur, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Georgia, and Ukraine. The ongoing conflict in Gaza has also entered the court, since the Palestinian territory has been recognized as a member of the court since 2015, despite its disputed statehood status.

The ICC established a Trust Fund for the victims of these crimes, bringing the Court’s initial reparations judgments to fruition. Over 450,000 victims have received physical, psychological, and socioeconomic from the Trust Fund through the ICC’s aid programs so far.

President Netanyahu’s arrest warrant by the ICC 251ff

In an exclusive interview with CNN on May 20, 2024, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan revealed that the ICC’s prosecution team is seeking warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and two top Hamas leaders — Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, and Ismail Haniyeh.

The court seeks to charge them with war crimes and crimes against humanity over the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. However, the warrants are awaiting formal approval by the of ICC’s judges according to the court’s latest rules.

The charges against the Hamas leaders Sinwar, Haniyeh, and al-Masri include “extermination, murder, taking of hostages, and rape and sexual assault in detention.” On the other hand, the charges against Netanyahu and Gallant include “causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war, including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, and deliberately targeting civilians in conflict.” 

This move of the ICC has met with criticism from the United States Secretary, Anthony Blinken, who said in a Press statement dated May 20, 2024, that “the decision of the ICC could jeopardize ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.” (via U.S. Department of State) He also criticized putting the Israel government and Hamas on equal footing, saying

“We reject the Prosecutor’s equivalence of Israel with Hamas.  It is shameful. Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and is still holding dozens of innocent people hostage, including Americans.”

The ICC has not yet replied to the Secretary and is awaiting approval from the judges to move forward with the arrest warrants. However, even after approval, President Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant would be out of reach for the prosecutors, since Israel does not recognize the ICC’s power.