Susanne Schmeidl

The Lebanese are the worst hit by this war, I think, and may continue to come under Israeli attack and occupation, even if the ceasefire between US/Israel and Iran holds.

Israel is using the same deadly playbook it used in 2024 in Lebanon: killing dozens of health workers and devastating healthcare services with total impunity. Since 2 March 2026, Israeli forces have been responsible for killing dozens of health workers and devastating healthcare services. Hospitals, ambulances, and medical facilities are specifically protected under international humanitarian law. Throwing out accusations without evidence does not justify treating doctors and paramedics as targets. Deliberately striking medics performing humanitarian functions must be investigated as a war crime. Between 2 March and 3 April 2026, Israeli forces attacked healthcare workers in Lebanon 92 times, killing 53 and injuring 137 people. Protecting healthcare is not optional — it is a binding rule.

Terrorist scenes like these play out regularly across the West Bank. And it's important to blame not just the out-of-control settlers but also the larger "justice system" that grants them impunity as they commit acts of terrorism against Palestinian civilians.

Trump may think he is above the law, but if he carries out his threats to commit war crimes in Iran, there are two ways he can be prosecuted -- Iran joining the International Criminal Court, or a group of governments creating a special tribunal. I explain: trib.al/8COQYbv

What is Jewish identity in the age of genocide in Gaza? It’s time for a reimagining of what being Jewish means. An extract from the latest episode of The Antony Loewenstein Podcast, out now on YouTube, Spotify and Apple. Details how to donate $ to back this work are here: bit.ly/m/theantonyloe…. open.spotify.com/episode/2cCjgG… Shoutouts to @mollycrabapple @jewishcouncilAU. Expertly produced by Lena Helou + @lemzakharia:

By vowing to wipe out an entire civilization, Trump threatens collective punishment, targeting not the Iranian military but the Iranian people. Attacking civilians is a war crime. So is making threats with the aim of terrorizing the civilian population. trib.al/F59vQUs

On #WorldHealthDay Afghan women and girls continue to face severe barriers to healthcare. Restrictions on movement, education & women health workers are undermining the health system and leading to preventable suffering and loss of life. My report here: ohchr.org/en/documents/c…

Donald Trump’s very act of making such apocalyptic threats, including his warning of ending ‘a whole civilization’, reveals a staggering level of cruelty and disregard for human life. bit.ly/4vfrEfd

As Trump threatens to commit war crimes in Iran by destroying its critical infrastructure, this video reminds U.S. servicemembers that they have a duty to disobey such an illegal order. Trump says this message is "seditious." He's wrong. These members of Congress are right.

Thank goodness for some sane Christian leaders - the Pope and Archbishop of Canterbury both calling urgently for peace and, in Sarah Mullally's words, an end to "violence and destruction" in the Middle East. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

We said it in the 1990s. We said it in the 2000s. We stand by it in 2026. Anti-personnel mines kill and maim indiscriminately. There’s only one way to be safe: To get rid of them. On the #MineAwarenessDay we call on all parties to conflicts to stop using them.

Pakistan’s ongoing forced repatriation of Afghan refugees is a moral and political outrage. It is sending vulnerable people back to the very conditions of repression, insecurity, and deprivation that Pakistan helped create and sustain before and after 2021. As Displaced International warned, Afghans are already trapped in a deepening humanitarian emergency, and forced return only compounds their suffering. Statement by Displaced International on the Displacement of More Than 100,000 Afghans Amid Escalating Pakistan-Afghanistan Hostilities displacedinternational.org/statement-by-d… This policy must end immediately. Governments, humanitarian actors, and international institutions should press Pakistan to halt forcible returns, protect Afghan refugees, and uphold basic international protection norms. We also urge everyone to read, sign, and share DI’s global petition and stand with Afghan refugees against yet another preventable injustice. Petition to Halt the Forcible Deportation of Afghan Refugees from Pakistan displacedinternational.org/petition-to-ha… Video source: @HatefMokhtar @UNHCRPakistan @BarhamSalih @UNHCRAfg @IOM_Pakistan @IOMchief @antonioguterres @OIC_OCI @PakPMO @CMShehbaz @MAshrafHaidari @KarzaiH @SkyYaldaHakim

The U.S. bombed a major bridge under construction in Iran — then attacked it again an hour later as emergency crews were on the scene. Iran says the "double tap" strike on the B1 suspension bridge in Karaj killed eight and wounded nearly 100 others. Here's the latest on the war.

🎥 In Tyre, Lebanon, we've started supporting hospitals providing care to injured and displaced people. Since early March, the Israeli army has issued blanket evacuation orders across southern Lebanon, including for the city of Tyre.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has called for urgent humanitarian assistance for thousands of families displaced by ongoing clashes between Taliban fighters and Pakistani forces in eastern Afghanistan. Read more: kabulnow.com/?p=52197

‼️ We at Amnesty International are sounding the alarm that Bangladesh could face more incidents of serious human rights abuses unless Meta takes timely and effective action to address harmful content on its Facebook platform. In the lead up to the country's elections last month, we and others observed a rise in harmful content online, some of which came outside of Bangladesh. This included the spread of misleading and inflammatory content in relation to political parties and minority communities, and the amplification of sectarian narratives or beliefs that exaggerate divisions between religious or community groups. Sound familiar? That's because we've seen this pattern over and over again, on a global scale, and especially acutely in Global Majority countries. It's systemic to the business model - and unless systemic changes are made, we will collectively remain trapped in this loop. Read our PR below 👇 amnesty.org/en/latest/news…

In a grim escalation, #Pakistan's air strikes in Kabul mark a shift to open conflict with #Afghanistan. As the human cost mounts, mediation efforts falter. @rachelreid6, Fabrizio Foschini & @roxbbox2 dive into the roots & ramifications of this crisis. bit.ly/47x2PkO

Imagine if instead of spending $1.3 million/minute on war in Iran, we spent this on people. With 3 days of war, we could eliminate the worst form of global hunger, saving 1.5m kids' lives. With less than 3 weeks worth, we could offer national pre-K or college for all Americans.

no words.

U.N. investigator Francesca Albanese is seen by her supporters as a rare and forceful voice piercing the cone of silence and indifference that has fallen over Gaza. This has earned her powerful enemies. politico.com/news/magazine/…