Bail in Pakistan, Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza, and West Bank Settlement Condemnation

Pakistan's Supreme Court approved bail for former Prime Minister Imran Khan on August 21 in several cases related to attacks on military installations in May 2023. This was confirmed by court records and his legal representative. Although granted bail, the 72-year-old politician remains incarcerated due to a separate conviction on corruption charges.

Dr. Mimi Syed, an American emergency physician, was denied entry to Gaza for her third medical mission, despite carrying essential supplies for Palestinians in dire need. She stated that these denials are part of Israel's ongoing policy of systematically damaging the healthcare system amidst its escalating blockade and military actions in the besieged enclave.

Shahed Ghoreishi, an Iranian American contractor and a senior press officer for Israeli-Palestinian affairs at the US State Department, was dismissed after the US Embassy in Jerusalem questioned his loyalty to President Donald Trump’s Middle East policies. According to reports, Ghoreishi drafted a statement that included a line stating the State Department does not support forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, which the Department rejected. This disagreement followed earlier disputes over including condolences for Al Jazeera journalist Anas al Sharif and other journalists killed by Israel in Gaza in another statement. Ghoreishi also contested the use of the term “Judea and Samaria” to describe Palestine’s occupied West Bank.

An Israeli soldier was filmed intentionally smashing the window of a Palestinian-owned car during a large-scale raid on al Mughayir, a village northeast of Ramallah. This incident occurred amidst ongoing Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank, which have been marked by reports of property damage and harassment of residents.

The European Union and 21 other countries have condemned Israel’s decision to proceed with the construction of thousands of settlement housing units in the controversial E1 area of the occupied West Bank. They called the move “unacceptable” and a “violation of international law.” The joint statement urged Israel to reverse the decision, warning that building in E1 would isolate occupied East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, undermine the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state, and threaten the two-state solution.

Famine has been declared in Gaza City, the largest city in Gaza. The UN rights chief stated that the famine in the Gaza Governorate is a direct result of Israeli actions. He warned that using starvation as a weapon is a war crime and that the resulting deaths could amount to “wilful killing.” The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed that famine, caused by Israel’s total blockade of aid into Palestine’s Gaza, is already underway in the city, warning it could soon engulf other areas.