‘Scattered measures’ for Gaza aid not enough: UN
- Israel’s “temporary” aid corridor to north Gaza criticised as inadequate by UN chief Guterres and EU foreign policy chief Borrell.
- Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says it will allow “temporary” aid deliveries via a crossing in the northern Gaza Strip “to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war”.
Protesters gather in New York City in support of Palestinians
A video posted on X shows a large crowd gathered in New York City’s Times Square on the occasion of Al-Quds Day.
Today, April 5, Palestine supporters across the world are marking Al-Quds Day, held annually on the last Friday of Ramadan to express solidarity with Palestine and opposition to Israeli occupation.
Colombia is hoping to offer tangible support to the Palestinian cause
In seeking to support South Africa in its ICJ case, Colombia is also sending a message to Israel that it cannot continue with its actions in Gaza.
This is not a surprising stance given what we’ve heard from the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who has denounced Israel since the start of the war.
Colombia and Israel have long been both commercial and military partners. But that relationship started to sour since President Petro took office a year and a half ago, and in particular since the start of the war on Gaza.
That’s because Petro has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause.
Just last week, Petro threatened to cut all ties with Israel if Israel didn’t comply with the UN Security Council resolution that demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
He also called on other nations back in February to cut all military purchases from Israel, even against the advice of the highest military commanders here in Colombia, from what we’re being told from sources inside the government.
That’s because Colombia depends on military support from Israel for its internal conflict, but despite all that his support for the Palestinian cause is more important for the country.
Biden urges mediators to press Hamas on Israel agreement: Report
President Joe Biden has written to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, calling on them to press Hamas for a deal with Israel, AP reports.
The letters come one day after Biden called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to redouble efforts to reach a ceasefire in the six-month-old war on Gaza.
The letters to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, come as Biden has deployed CIA Director Bill Burns to Cairo for talks this weekend on reaching a ceasefire in Gaza and on the release of Israeli captives held there by Hamas and other groups in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
UN chief: Israeli intentions to increase aid to Gaza need to “quickly materialise”
Antonio Guterres says on X that the UN has been informed by Israel of its intention to “allow a meaningful increase in humanitarian aid distributed in Gaza”.
“I sincerely hope that these intentions are effectively and quickly materialized,” he continued.
Guterres has called on Israel numerous times to stop blocking aid to the Gaza Strip, calls that have so far gone unheeded. Israel’s stated intention to allow more aid into the strip came only after an intense international backlash following the killing of six foreign aid workers in Israeli air strikes on Monday.
Aid allowed into Gaza has been ‘dramatically inadequate’: US Senator
US Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, has issued a statement in which he said recent events in Gaza “have made plain that much more needs to be done to protect innocent life”.
He added that “despite constant pressure from the United States, other nations, and international organizations, the amount of aid allowed by Israel to enter Gaza has been painfully slow and dramatically inadequate”.
Kaine applauded Biden for successfully urging Netanyahu to open a border crossing from Israel to allow aid into the Gaza Strip, but he said, “This was an obvious solution that should have happened months ago.”
In the statement, he said that despite the fact that the US “has time and again stood with Israel as a friend, partner and ally”, the current approach to the war on Gaza is not working.
He also urged the US not to send more offensive weapons to Israel as it would only “further widen suffering in Israel, Gaza and the region”.
‘Clear evidence of unconscionable brutality’: OCHA official
Ramesh Rajasingham, who heads the UN humanitarian agency’s Geneva division, says, “Six months into the brutal war in Gaza, the world continues to witness clear breaches of international humanitarian law.”
“Allegations of serious violations must be investigated and the suspects prosecuted,” he urged.
“Member states can and must use their leverage to prevent and stop violations of international humanitarian law – through diplomatic and economic pressure, conditioning arms exports on compliance with the rules of war and cooperation in combating impunity,” he added.
Lebanese paramedic succumbs to wounds following Israeli air raid
According to the Lebanese Civil Defence, Mousa al-Mousawi died following his injury in an Israeli attack on Khaim in the southern Nabatieh Governate.
The married father of three was 47, the Lebanese Civil Defence said in a post on X.
What happened to the UN ceasefire resolution?
On March 25, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution that demanded an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the holy month of Ramadan.
However, more than 10 days later, little appears to have changed, and with Ramadan ending around Tuesday, hopes of the resolution having an impact are all but gone.
Israel has continued its attacks across the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian access had also been a demand in the resolution, but Israel has continued to block and attack aid convoys in the Gaza Strip.
Enforcing the resolution has been difficult. The UN considers the resolution binding, as do many countries, but the US, Israel’s key ally, has stated otherwise.
The UN could potentially impose sanctions but trying to enact punitive measures would likely involve an additional resolution – which the US would likely veto.
Israel may have also felt emboldened to ignore the resolution as it had done so in the past, including in December when the UN General Assembly voted with an overwhelming majority to call for a “humanitarian ceasefire”.
Islamic Jihad thanks Iran for ‘standing with the Palestinian people’
Ziyad al-Nakhalah, the group’s secretary-general, says Iran has stood by the “resistance” as Arab governments side with Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
“We are grateful for Iran, which has sided with and supported the resistance for more than 20 years,” he said.
“The battle is ongoing, and the occupation is trying to end the resistance. We are being let down by the international community and Arab government collusion.”
