THE Hamas Movement has denounced the Israeli Knesset’s (parliament) national security committee for approving a draft law allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners.
In a statement yesterday, Hamas said that this proposed legislation reflects the ‘ugly fascist face of the rogue Zionist occupation’ and ‘its persistence in violating international law, particularly the provisions of international humanitarian law and the Third Geneva Convention.’
Hamas called on the United Nations, the international community, and human rights and legal organisations to take urgent action to stop ‘this brutal crime,’ and to form international committees to visit Israeli prisons, examine the incarceration conditions of Palestinian detainees, and expose any abuses committed by Israeli authorities.
They also called for immediate steps to be taken to secure the release of Palestinian detainees, especially in light of leaked reports exposing the horrific abuses in Israeli jails, especially at the Sde Teiman detention centre.
Yesterday, the Knesset security committee advanced a bill to introduce the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners after Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu announced his support for the measure.
The bill could have its first reading in the Knesset plenum as soon as tomorrow, Israeli media reported.
The legislation stipulates that Israeli courts will be able to impose the death penalty on those who have committed a ‘nationalistically motivated murder of a citizen of Israel’. However, it will not apply to any Jewish Israeli who kills a Palestinian.
The law is expected to be implemented first against detainees from the Gaza Strip who have been classified by Israeli authorities as ‘fighters’. These individuals have been held in military detention facilities without charge or trial since they were kidnapped from Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Centre for Prisoners’ Advocacy accused Israeli occupation forces of continuing to commit grave abuses against Palestinian detainees and holding them under harsh and inhumane conditions that lack even the most basic requirements for survival.
‘The Hebrew media have once again exposed one of the most heinous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation. They reported that a Palestinian detainee was subjected to a fatal sexual assault, which was documented, filmed, and leaked to the media,’ the Centre said in a statement on Sunday, condemning the incident as a ‘reflection of the deep moral decline within Israel’s security and military establishment.’
‘The debate within Israeli circles overlooks the horror of the crime itself, focusing instead on pinpointing the origin of the leaked footage.
‘This reflects a complete absence of humanity within the Israeli system and its disregard for the life of the Palestinian detainee.’
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AI-powered drones surveiling protesters across USA
AI-powered quadcopter drones deployed by the Israeli regime’s armed forces are operating over American cities, surveiling protesters and automatically uploading millions of images to a centralised evidence database.
A report published by the Grayzone news outlet on Sunday reveals that AI-powered drones manufactured by a company called Skydio are monitoring the majority of cities in the US.
According to the report, Skydio provided the original drone models to the Israeli armed forces immediately after the regime launched its genocidal assault on Gaza on October 7th, 2023.
The Israeli regime extensively deployed the drones in its attacks on Palestinians, sending operational data back to Skydio to refine the technology.
Skydio maintains an office in the occupied Palestinian territories and partners with DefenSync, an Israeli military drone contractor that acts as an intermediary between drone manufacturers and the regime’s armed forces.
The company has also raised hundreds of millions of dollars from Israeli-American venture capitalists and funds extensive investments in the Occupied Lands.
Since 2023, Skydio has transformed from a relatively obscure ‘startup’ into a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate and the largest drone manufacturer in the US.
The report states that Skydio now holds contracts with more than 800 law enforcement and security agencies across the country, up from 320 in March last year as its drones are being deployed hundreds of times daily to monitor citizens in towns and cities nationwide.
Nearly every major American city has signed a contract with Skydio in the past 18 months, including Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Diego, Cleveland, and Jacksonville.
- US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reportedly considering hiring private bounty hunters to locate immigrants across the country.
In Miami, Skydio drones are reportedly being used to surveil protesters and students, while in Atlanta, the company has partnered with the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) to establish a permanent drone station within the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Centre – also known as the Cop City.
Detroit recently spent nearly $300,000 on 14 Skydio drones, according to a city procurement report.
A spokesman for the New York Police Department (NYPD) recently told a drone news website that the NYPD launched more than 20,000 drone flights in less than a year, which translates to around 55 drone launches per day.
Last month, US Customs and Border Protection (ICE) purchased an X10D Skydio drone, which can automatically track and pursue a target. ICE has acquired 33 of these drones since July.
The AI system powering Skydio drones relies on Nvidia chips and allows them to operate without human control.The drones are equipped with thermal imaging cameras and can function in GPS-denied environments.
They can reconstruct buildings and other infrastructure in 3D and reach speeds of more than 30 miles per hour.