Israel’s war on Gaza : ‘Starvation, killing and destruction’
- A UNICEF aid convoy is hit by Israeli gunfire in the latest incident of humanitarian relief workers coming under attack in Gaza.
- Political chief Ismail Haniyeh says Hamas won’t change its position in ceasefire talks after Israel killed three of his sons and four grandchildren in an attack on the first day of Eid al-Fitr.
CENTCOM chief arrives in Israel: Report
Israeli media say the head of the US Central Command Michael Kurilla has arrived in Israel.
Kurilla is expected to meet with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and other officials as the country braces for a possible attack from Iran, The Times of Israel reported.
Israel has been on high alert since a suspected Israeli air strike hit the Iranian consulate in Damascus where seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Corps have been killed.
Earlier we cited a Bloomberg report saying US officials believe an attack from Iran, potentially with high-precision missiles against military and government sites in Israel, is imminent.
Israeli jets strike Lebanon’s Jabbain, al-Dhahira and Tayr Harfa
Israeli fighter jets have raided the eastern outskirts of the town of Jabbain, according to the local Lebanese media.
Earlier this morning, the Israeli air force also carried out an air raid targeting the town of al-Dhahira, as well as the outskirts of the Tayr Harfa village, said the Bint Jbeil online media outlet.
Russia calls for restraint in the Middle East
The Kremlin called for all countries in the Middle East to show restraint and prevent the region from slipping into chaos.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there had been no requests for Russia to mediate between Israel and Iran, though Peskov said the Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus was a violation of all the principles of international law.
“Right now it is very important for everyone to maintain restraint in order not to lead to a complete destabilisation of the situation in the region, which does not exactly shine with stability and predictability,” Peskov said.
Iran has promised revenge for the April 1 air strike on its embassy compound in Damascus, which killed two Iranian generals and five officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – further escalating tensions in a region already convulsed by Israel’s war on Gaza.
Israeli protesters block Gaza aid passage near al-Awja crossing
Dozens of Israeli demonstrators have blocked the road to trucks carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip near al-Awja (Nitzana) border crossing between Israel and Egypt.
The border crossing has been closed for hours. Israel’s border guard forces arrested a number of demonstrators.
Victims of Rafah attack were on their way to visit family for Eid
Within the past hour, we’ve seen intensified attacks across the Gaza Strip.
Here in Rafah, in just the last 45 minutes, there was a drone attack in the eastern part of the city, where a group of people were gathering in the streets on their way to visit relatives, according to witnesses.
This is what people here do during Eid – they socialise, they get together, they spend some family time. However, they were targeted and six were reported killed on the spot. At least double that number are injured.
Those passing by describe the explosion as “very loud”, causing not only the death of these six people but also a great deal of damage to nearby homes.
Where do truce talks stand after Israel killed Hamas leader’s family?
The killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh’s relatives further complicates negotiations aimed at securing a halt in the fighting in Gaza in exchange for the return of the 133 Israeli captives still believed to be held in the besieged enclave.
Global calls for a ceasefire have been growing as the war enters its seventh month, but there has been little sign of progress in the talks in recent days.
Hamas is demanding an end to the Israeli offensive, a withdrawal of Israeli forces, and for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to their homes.
Israel says it will not end the war until Hamas is destroyed and still plans a ground assault on the southern city of Rafah, where 1.5 million civilians have taken refuge.
A framework being circulated would halt fighting for six weeks and see the exchange of about 40 captives for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, as well as more aid deliveries.
Eight killed in Rafah: Report
Israeli strikes killed at least eight people in the southern district of Rafah, the Wafa news agency reports, citing medical sources.
Five of the victims were killed when Israeli warplanes struck a group of people near a cemetery in eastern Rafah, while three were killed by strikes that hit Rafah’s Janina neighbourhood, also to the east, the news report said.
Israel claims Irish PM on ‘wrong side of history’ with Gaza stance
Israel’s Foreign Ministry criticised a speech by Ireland’s incoming prime minister in which he said Israel’s government was acting “disproportionately” in Gaza.
Prime Minister Simon Harris, in his first speech to parliament after being sworn in on Tuesday, addressed the Gaza conflict saying “innocent children, women and men are being starved and slaughtered” in the enclave in what amounted to “disproportionate” military conduct.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry, reacting to the speech, said Harris must have “forgot to mention” the Israeli captives still being held in Gaza by Hamas.
The ministry also accused Harris and Ireland’s foreign minister of rewarding “terrorism” by backing South Africa in its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
“After the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust … there are those in Ireland who persist on being on the wrong side of history.”
Israel’s message: ‘Don’t feed the Palestinians’
Suddenly outraged presidents and prime ministers in the West have watched, approvingly, as Israel has gone about systematically denying the Palestinians shelter by obliterating their homes and neighbourhoods; denying them care and comfort by storming and obliterating hospitals.
Denying them education by obliterating their schools and universities; denying them places of worship by obliterating their churches and mosques; denying them their roots and past by obliterating their libraries, museums and historical sites.
These same presidents and prime ministers nodded in fulsome agreement in October with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant: Israel’s adversaries – without distinction – were indeed “human animals” and the inevitable consequences of the “siege” of Gaza were not only acceptable but warranted.
Israeli shelling kills civilians near Gaza City: Report
In conjunction with air strikes on Nuseirat camp, Israeli gunboats shelled homes in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, killing multiple civilians, according to local sources cited by the Wafa news agency.
Overcrowded refugee camps have been a frequent target of Israeli forces during the war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 34,000 people since October.
Death toll from Nuseirat strikes now at five
Five people have been confirmed killed from Israel’s air raids on Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, according to the Wafa news agency. Numerous people have also been wounded.
Israel’s military described its latest operations in central Gaza, carried out by the 162nd Division, as a “precise, intelligence-based” mission to kill Palestinian fighters and destroy military infrastructure in the area.
It’s not the first time Nuseirat has been a target of Israel’s military. In January, at least 207 people were killed over a 24-hour period during Israeli attacks.
