israeli warcrimes in Gaza reports 2024:

April week 3 2024 --  April - March, 2024
 

 When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.

israeli warcrimes in Gaza reports 2024:
with special thanks to citizen-reporter 'Biba' (Algeria)

Sky News - April 19, 2024
<<What missiles could Israel use in an attack - and can Iran defend itself?
Sky News looks at how Israel might attack, and how Iran could respond.
By Ben van der Merwe and Saywah Mahmood, Data and Forensics Unit>>
Readworthy at:
https://news.sky.com/story/what-missiles-do-iran-and-israel-have-and-how-might-they-be-used-13117104

Sky News - April 19, 2024
<<Middle East latest: Israeli minister writes one word post after strike on Iran; Blinken refuses to address Israel attack
Israel's national security minister writes a very short post on X after his country's strike on Iran - and a senior Iranian official says the country has no plan for immediate retaliation. In a press conference, Blinken refused to talk about the reported Israeli strike in Iran.
.....
Man arrested at Iranian consulate after claiming to be carrying explosives
A man has been arrested at the Iranian consulate in Paris after claiming to be carrying explosives, our French partner network BFM reports. French police earlier cordoned off the building after reports of a <suspicious man>. A Paris police official said the man was spotted around 11 am local time (9am UK time) and officers launched a special operation as soon as they were alerted. The man's motives were not immediately clear.
Special intervention police have been mobilised to deal with the incident, it added.
.....
Coalition of countries could 'deal with Iranian threat', Blinken says
The US Secretary of State has said he can see a future for Israel in which a <coalition of countries are working together to deal with the Iranian threat and to isolate it. Antony Blinken said that would involve Israel being <integrated into the region with normal relations with its neighbours>.
There also needs to be a <resolution to the Palestinian question>, he added, which is <necessary to really deep root and achieve that coalition>.
He went on: <It deals with the single biggest threat to Israel's security - and, for that matter, to the security of most countries in the region and our own - which is Iran and its proxies. But to get there, it's going to require calm in Gaza and it's going to require a clear pathway to a Palestinian state.> 'I'm going to be incredibly boring' - Blinken refuses to answer question on Israel attack again. Antony Blinken has been asked why he's refusing to comment on the apparent Israeli attack on Iran in the early hours of this morning. He responds: <I am going to be incredibly boring and not make your day by saying again I am not going to speak on what's been reported.> He also reiterates the line he's been saying throughout the conference: <The United States has not been involved in any offensive operations.>
US does not support military operation in Rafah - Blinken
The US <cannot support a major military operation in Rafah>, Antony Blinken says. Taking questions from reporters, the US secretary of state is asked about the Israeli military's apparent plans to launch an operation in the southern Gaza city. The idea has been widely condemned by the international community, with more than 1.4 million Palestinians currently living in the city and many of them displaced from other parts of Gaza.
<We believe a major military operation with a large presence of a civilian population would have terrible consequences for the population,> he says.
He adds that getting people out of harms way would be a <monumental task> and the US is yet to see a plan to evacuate them safely. <We are committed as Israel is to ensuring that Gaza cannot be controlled by Hamas,> he says, adding that the US believes this <can be achieved by other means>.
Blinken refuses to talk about reported Israeli strike in Iran
The US Secretary of State has refused to comment on reports of an Israeli strike in Iran last night.
<I'm not going to speak to these reported events,> Antony Blinken said in Capri. He added: <All I can say is that for our part, and for the entire G7, our focus has been on de-escalation, on avoiding a larger conflict. And, actually, that's been true since day one after the horrific events of October 7th [when Hamas launched an attack in Israel].> He added: <A big part of our approach has been to prevent the conflict from spreading to avoid escalation everywhere. And that's a common policy across the G7, and it's very much our approach now. <Those efforts will continue.>
US has not been involved in any offensive operations - Blinken. He is asked if the US was alerted to Israel's attack on Iran ahead of time and if it raised any objections. He says he <will not speak to that> but that the <United States has not been involved in any offensive operations>.
<What we're focused on and again what the G7 is focused on... is our work to de-escalate tensions,> he adds.>>
Source:
https://news.sky.com/story/israel-gaza-hamas-iran-latest-sky-news-blog-12978800

Sky News - April 19, 2024
<<Middle East: Is it safe to travel to holiday destinations as tension escalates?
Are you going to Turkey, Egypt or Israel on holiday? The Foreign Office has warned travellers to several countries to monitor advice after an Iranian attack on Israel pushed tension in the Middle East up another notch. Tension in the Middle East has ratcheted up again after Iran's attack on Israel, as the world waits to see how Benjamin Netanyahu's government will respond. With the threat of widening conflict, people due to travel through or over the Middle East may be asking if their plans may be impacted. On Saturday, flight data showed dozens of journeys that would have travelled over the Middle East turned back after Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles into Israel.
Here is what airlines are saying and the latest safety advice to travellers.
EasyJet scraps Tel Aviv flights EasyJet has suspended all flights to Tel Aviv over safety concerns. The budget airline told Sky News it has grounded its flights until 27 October at the earliest <as a result of the continued evolving situation> in the region.
Wizz Air customers could see schedule changes. Wizz Air cancelled flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday 14 and Monday 15 April before resuming its schedule. But it said customers could experience schedule changes as it closely monitors the situation.
British Airways operating as normal. British Airways - which operates four daily return flights per week between Heathrow and Tel Aviv - said its flights were continuing to operate as planned, but it too was monitoring the situation.
Is it safe to travel to Turkey?
Turkey is a popular holiday destination for people from the UK with the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism saying that last year 3.16 million Britons made the journey there, according to Travel Weekly. Yet, it borders a number of countries that the Foreign Office advises against travel to.
The vast majority of the country is considered generally safe for tourists, with some exceptions. The Foreign Office advises against all travel within 10km of the border with Syria , and all but essential travel to the Sirnak and Hakkari provinces. People sunbathe on Konyaalti beach, amid the COVID-19 outbreak, in the southern resort city of Antalya, Turkey June 19, 2020. Picture taken June 19, 2020. REUTERS/Kaan Soyturk
Is it safe to travel to Israel?
Some parts of Israel are considered <red zones> by the Foreign Office, with the government advising against all travel there. For the rest of the country - including East Jerusalem and Tel Aviv - the advice is to travel only if it is essential. Tourist Israel says around 220,000 Britons usually go to the country every year and the Foreign Office is advising against travel close to the border with Gaza, within 5km of the border with Lebanon and within 500m of the border with Syria. You can see the full updated list of <red zones> on the Foreign Office advice pages.
Occupied Palestinian territories
The Foreign Office advises against all travel to Gaza and the West Bank. The Foreign Office advises against all travel to places marked in red, and only essential travel to the rest of Israel. The Foreign Office advises against all travel to Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. It advises against all travel to Iraq except to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), where it advises against all but <essential travel>.
Can I safely go on holiday in Egypt?
The main tourist areas in Egypt are generally considered safe, including the capital Cairo, cities along the Nile and Red Sea resorts. Over 1.5 million British Nationals visit Egypt every year, according to analysts Gitnux, and the areas the Foreign Office warns not to travel to include the Governorate of North Sinai, where the Rafah crossing to Gaza is located, and within 20km of the border with Libya.>>
Source:
https://news.sky.com/story/middle-east-is-it-safe-to-travel-to-holiday-destinations-as-tension-escalates-13117139

Reuters - April 18, 2024
<<Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem wins 2024 World Press Photo of the Year award
By Anthony Deutsch
AMSTERDAM, April 18 (Reuters) - Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem won the prestigious 2024 World Press Photo of the Year award on Thursday for his image of a Palestinian woman cradling the body of her five-year-old niece in the Gaza Strip. The picture was taken on Oct. 17, 2023, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where families were searching for relatives killed during Israeli bombing of the Palestinian enclave. Salem's winning image portrays Inas Abu Maamar, 36, sobbing while holding Saly's sheet-clad body in the hospital morgue. <Mohammed received the news of his WPP award with humility, saying that this is not a photo to celebrate but that he appreciates its recognition and the opportunity to publish it to a wider audience,> Reuters Global Editor for Pictures and Video, Rickey Rogers, said at a ceremony in Amsterdam. <He hopes with this award that the world will become even more conscious of the human impact of war, especially on children,> Rogers said, standing in front of the photo at the Nieuwe Kerk in the Dutch capital. Announcing its annual awards, the Amsterdam-based World Press Photo Foundation said it was important to recognise the dangers facing journalists covering conflicts. It said 99 journalists and media employees had been killed covering the war between Israel and Hamas since the Palestinian militant group attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel responded by launching a military offensive in Gaza. <The work of press and documentary photographers around the world is often done at high risk,> said Joumana El Zein Khoury, the organisation's executive director. <This past year, the death toll in Gaza pushed the number of journalists killed to a near-record high. It is important to recognise the trauma they have experienced to show the world the humanitarian impact of the war.> Salem, a Palestinian aged 39, has worked for Reuters since 2003. He also won an award in the 2010 World Press Photo competition. The jury said Salem's 2024 winning image was <composed with care and respect, offering at once a metaphorical and literal glimpse into unimaginable loss.> <I felt the picture sums up the broader sense of what was happening in the Gaza Strip,> Salem said when the image was first published in November. <People were confused, running from one place to another, anxious to know the fate of their loved ones, and this woman caught my eye as she was holding the body of the little girl and refused to let go.>
'PROFOUNDLY AFFECTING'
Salem's wife had given birth to their child days before he took the shot. The photograph is <profoundly affecting,> said jury member Fiona Shields, head of photography at Guardian News & Media. The jury selected the winning photos from 61,062 entries by 3,851 photographers from 130 countries.>>
Read more here and see the heartbreaking photo:
https://www.reuters.com/world/reuters-mohammed-salem-wins-2024-world-press-photo-year-award-2024-04-18/

France 24 - April 18, 2024
<<US vetoes Palestinian request for full UN membership
The United States on Thursday effectively stopped the United Nations from recognising a Palestinian state by casting a veto in the Security Council to deny the Palestinian Authority full membership of the world body. Read our liveblog to see how all the day's events unfolded.
Summary:
A senior Revolutionary Guards general threatened on Thursday to target Israel's <nuclear facilities> if it strikes Iranian nuclear sites, state media reported, in retaliation for Tehran's weekend attack on Israel. European Union leaders agreed Wednesday to impose new sanctions on Iran's drone and missile producers over Tehran's unprecedented weekend attack on Israel. Qatar is reassessing its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas after suffering criticism, its prime minister said on Wednesday. This comes as Western powers are seeking to dissuade Israel from escalating regional hostilities in a riposte to the Iranian attack. The Security Council vote on the Palestinians' bid to become a full member state of the United Nations is scheduled to take place Thursday, diplomats said. At least 33,970 Palestinians have been killed and an estimated 76,575 have been injured in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Some 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks that sparked the war and 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.>>
Read more here:
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240418-%F0%9F%94%B4-live-eu-to-impose-new-sanctions-on-iran-drone-missile-producers

Jinha - Womens News Agency 17 April 2024
<<EU leaders vow to impose tougher sanctions against Iran
European Union leaders vowed on Wednesday to impose tougher sanctions against Iran while at least eight Palestinians were killed on Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
News Center- After the first day of a European Union summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, European Union leaders decided on Wednesday to step up sanctions against Iran after Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel on Sunday. In a statement released after the first day of their summit, the EU leaders also renewed their call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, as well as the provision of full, rapid, safe and unhindered access to humanitarian aid at scale for Palestinians in need. Mentioning the situation in Lebanon, the EU leaders renewed their support for Lebanon.
At least eight Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike
On Wednesday, the Israeli air forces launched an airstrike targeting a house in an agricultural land in the Salam neighborhood of Rafah. At least eight people from the Ayad family, including five children and two women, were killed in the Israeli airstrike, Palestinian health officials announced.
Several Palestinians were reportedly injured on Wednesday in the strike targeting a house belonging to the Bahabsa family, near Rafah’s eastern cemetery.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/eu-leaders-vow-to-impose-tougher-sanctions-against-iran-34912

Sky News - April 17, 2024
<<Middle East latest: Striking Iran's nuclear facilities 'on the table', says ex-Mossad intelligence chief
A former official at the Israeli spy agency says targeting nuclear facilities in Iran is among the options on the table as Israel decides how to respond to Saturday's attack. Meanwhile, Iran's president has warned the <tiniest move> against the country would bring a <fierce> response.
G7 foreign ministers gather for talks
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies are gathering on the Italian island of Capri for three days of talks. The meeting is being overshadowed by expectations of an Israeli retaliation against Iran for its missile and drone attacks over the weekend. Italy, which holds the G7's rotating presidency, has been pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza and a de-escalation in the wider Middle East. <Against a background of strong international tensions, the Italian-led G7 is tasked with working for peace,> foreign minister Antonio Tajani said in a statement.
The G7 pledged support for Israel following the attack.
Single Israeli shell 'destroyed 4,000 embryos'
A single Israeli shell destroyed 4,000 embryos when it struck Gaza's largest fertility clinic in December, Reuters reports. The explosion blasted the lids off five liquid nitrogen tanks at Gaza City's Al Basma IVF centre, causing to evaporate the -180C liquid holding the embryos and 1,000 more specimens of sperm and unfertilized eggs. <We know deeply what these 5,000 lives, or potential lives, meant for the parents, either for the future or for the past,> said Bahaeldeen Ghalayini, 73, the Cambridge-trained obstetrician and gynaecologist who established the clinic in 1997. At least half of the couples can no longer produce sperm or eggs to make viable embryos, he said.
<My heart is divided into a million pieces.>
In April, the embryology lab was still strewn with broken masonry, blown-up lab supplies and, amid the rubble, the liquid nitrogen tanks, according to a Reuters-commissioned journalist who visited the site. Striking Iran's nuclear facilities on the table, says ex-Mossad official. The former director of intelligence at the Israeli spy agency, Mossad, says targeting nuclear facilities in Iran is among the options on the table as Israel decides how to respond to Saturday's attack. Zohar Palti spoke to The World with Yalda Hakim in Jerusalem about possible responses after Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel. Asked if everything was on the table, including targeting nuclear facilities, Mr Palti said: <No doubt. Everything is on the table right now.> Pressed on whether this included nuclear facilities, he said: <Including everything.> Iran temporarily closed its nuclear facilities on Sunday over <security considerations> and the International Atomic Energy Agency kept its inspectors away for two days. The attack on Israel came after a deadly suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria. The IDF said 99% of the weapons fired at Israel failed to break through its air defences.
Analysis: 'Take the win' is off the table - there's little doubt Israel will respond
By Alistair Bunkall, Middle East correspondent
There is little doubt in diplomatic and political circles here that Israel will carry out a reprisal attack on Iran. David Cameron, on a short visit to Jerusalem, said as much in TV interviews. The questions remain when and where. Israeli leaders are keeping that very close, not even telling visiting foreign ministers from allied countries, but it might be that no final decision has been made. Cameron is canny enough to know that if he came here pushing a message of <don't do it> then he might be shown up as ineffective in the coming days. And so the language has changed to <okay, if you have to do it, then make sure it's reasonable and doesn't escalate matters further>. With the US and European capitals saying the same (the German foreign minister was here today too), it might have some sway. Israel says it needs to send Iran a clear message but doesn't want an escalation - that's all very well but Iran might not see it like that. Assuming the do-nothing, <take-the-win> option is off the table, the next best outcome is for a series of increasingly smaller events that ultimately see this crisis fizzle out. I've also picked up frustration among diplomats over political attempts back in the UK to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror organisation. It would have no impact on the current crisis and could put the future of the British Embassy in doubt. That would then remove a vital back-channel of communication, not just for the UK, but for allies like the US and Israel to lean on London for that. It's moments like these when those channels come into their own and the Foreign Office can be influential. Ultimately though, Israel's main message to Iran won't be via diplomatic back-channels but a military strike which, in their words, will be <in a manner and time of their choosing>.
Revenge will lead to bigger war, says Lebanese foreign minister
The Lebanese foreign minister is speaking with special correspondent Alex Crawford following exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel across the Israeli border. Asked about Israel's determination to retaliate against Iran, Abdallah Bou Habib says Lebanon is worried. <Any kind of revenge is going to end up with a bigger war, probably,> he says. <And therefore Lebanon, Syria and Jordan may be in trouble.> Mr Habib hopes for a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, he says. If the UN were to move in that direction, the Lebanese government would <most probably> support it.
<We are left not able to do anything of the sort. It is not a matter of the Hezbollah stronger than the Lebanese army, because they not going to collide or fight each other.> Up until 7 October, there was <nothing on the border>, he says, saying he hoped to return to a stable border.
More than 5,000 houses have been destroyed in Lebanon by Israeli attacks, says Mr Habib. Asked about Hezbollah's backing of the Iranian attack, Mr Habib says: <We do not welcome it and we don't denounce the attack, because Israel started it.> <We do not have influence over Hezbollah as long as there is fighting between them and Israelis, and if we have a choice then we support Hezbollah.> A two-state solution is <the solution for most of the problems in the Middle East>, he says.
.....
'Hell on Earth': UK government asked why it has not restored funding to UNRWA amid desperate conditions in Gaza. UK Foreign Office minister David Rutley has been making a statement to Parliament on the situation in Gaza, where he says the humanitarian situation <is dire>. He insists the UK has <not changed our focus> on ensuring Israel meets <commitments to allow 500 aid trucks a day into Gaza> and open additional land corridors.
<We're pushing as hard as we can to get aid to Palestinian civilians... and we've been urging Israel at the highest level to take immediate action on the bottlenecks holding up humanitarian relief,> he says. The MP says ministers were <horrified> by the attack on humanitarian workers in Gaza, which killed seven people, including three Britons. <Israel must do more to protect aid workers,> he says. David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, says that conditions in Gaza are <desperate and intolerable>, saying famine has <taken hold> and sewage is spilling into the streets.
He adds there is <aid sat waiting, unable to reach those who are in need, some rotting where they stood, items removed from trucks without explanation. Doctors are reusing single-use medical equipment from patients who have died.> Mr Lammy says: <This is a description of hell on Earth.
<It cannot go on.>
He asks why the government has not yet restored funding to UNRWA, the UN's humanitarian relief agency in Gaza. <It's shocking in the face of famine that the UK is one of the last major donors that has not yet resumed funding, without explanation.> The UK was among donors which suspended funding to the agency in January after Israel claimed some of its members were involved in Hamas's 7 October attacks - but no evidence to support those allegations has since been provided by Israel.>>
Read more here:
https://news.sky.com/story/middle-east-latest-un-nuclear-watchdog-concerned-israel-could-target-iranian-nuclear-facilities-in-revenge-attack-12978800

France 24 - April 17, 2024 - Face to face: Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak speaking to FRANCE 24
<<'No need to go into full-scale war' with Iran, says former Israeli PM Barak
A few days after Iran's unprecedented drone and missile attack against Israel, FRANCE 24 spoke to former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak. The Iranian attack was largely repelled and as such is a <dramatic failure>, Barak said. As a result, he believes <there is no need and no will to go into full-scale war> with Iran. <Israel will very probably respond on Iranian soil>, he predicted, but <in a way that will be calibrated in order to avoid it from deteriorating into full-scale war>. Ehud Barak, who was prime minister from 1999 to 2001, also served as defence minister and Israel's army chief of staff. Speaking to FRANCE 24 from Tel Aviv, he strongly criticised the current Israeli leadership over its strategy both vis-a-vis Iran and Gaza.
Iran said Saturday night's attack was a response to the suspected Israeli missile strike on Iran's consulate in Damascus on April 1, in which a total of seven Revolutionary Guards were killed, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the Guards' elite Quds Force.
Israeli authorities and intelligence "failed in the assessment or underestimated what might be the Iranian response to such an attack on a high-level individual", Barak claimed.
Hostages risk 'coming back in coffins'
For Barak, "the most urgent issue" is the fate of the hostages held captive in Gaza since their kidnapping on October 7. "Even now, about half of the hostages are probably not alive anymore. If we wait another six months, most of them, if not all of them, will come back in coffins," he warned.
"We need much more determined negotiations to reach an agreement about the hostages," the former premier insisted.
On the ground in Gaza, Barak believes the Israeli military is operating "with significant achievements".
"But the [Israeli] political leadership did not take any strategic decisions from day one," he said, denouncing what he called a "strategic paralysis>.>>
Source:
https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/t%C3%AAte-%C3%A0-t%C3%AAte/20240417-no-need-to-go-into-full-scale-war-with-iran-says-former-israeli-pm-barak

France 24 - April 17, 2024 - Video by: FRANCE 24
<<Israeli strikes kill several at refugee camp in central Gaza
Palestinian health officials and Hamas media said an Israeli airstrike had also killed 11 Palestinians, including children, in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. <My brothers were sitting by the door, my brother was injured, and his cousin too, and I lost my son, I do not have a house, nor a husband, nor anything anymore,> said Wafaa Issa al-Nouri, whose son Mohammad and husband were killed in the strike.>>
Watch the video here:
https://www.france24.com/en/video/20240417-israeli-strikes-in-central-gaza-kill-several-at-refugee-camp

Sky News - April 17, 2024
<<Lebanon at a crossroads as it awaits Israel's response to Iran - with fears growing revenge will trigger 'bigger war'
After Iran's retaliatory strikes on Israel, voices in Lebanon have warned that an Israeli attack could tip the region into all-out war.
Alex Crawford
Special correspondent @AlexCrawfordSky
Lebanon is balanced as though on an earthquake faultline right now - whatever Israel decides to do next will have massive repercussions throughout the entire region. That's how critical the situation is in Lebanon and the surrounding countries, as described by one seasoned Lebanese political analyst. Khodor Taleb is also the former adviser to three different Lebanese prime ministers, so knows a thing or two about what is at stake.
Follow live:
Israel 'considered revenge attack on Monday'
Lebanon - like the entire region - is at the crossroads and it is Israel in the driving seat over which road is travelled.
'The situation will be totally out of control' <I can tell you 100% that Hezbollah do not want war. The ball is in the Israeli court,> Mr Taleb told Sky News. The militant group Hezbollah is backed by Iran and has strong ties with both the Iranian leadership and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). It is very much seen as the strongest and most powerful of Iran's proxies which operate in multiple countries. It is therefore potentially in the Israeli crosshairs as it considers how or whether to retaliate against Iran and its network in response to the missile and drone attacks at the weekend. Mr Taleb is not an isolated voice in warning that an Israeli attack could tip the region into all-out war. <It will be a huge risk for Israel because it will lead to a big war in the region,> he said. <It will not be limited to Lebanon. It will definitely spread to Yemen and most probably to the Syrian Golan and the situation will be totally out of control of any international power,> he continued.
<It will be damaging to the whole region.>
His point: Any large-scale Israeli attack against the Lebanese Hezbollah or Iran risks drawing the entire so-called Axis of Resistance into war - and that would involve the Yemeni Houthis, the Iraqi Hezbollah and the various Syrian militias - all of which have links to Iran or Hezbollah.>>
Read more here:
https://news.sky.com/story/lebanon-at-a-crossroads-as-it-awaits-israels-response-to-iran-with-fears-growing-revenge-will-trigger-bigger-war-13117455


33,899 Palestinians killed
Jinha - Womens News Agency - April 17, 2024
<<33,899 Palestinians killed in Gaza since Oct.7
33,899 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023, the Gaza’s health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
News Center- Israeli army killed at least 56 Palestinians and injured at least 89 Palestinians in the last 24 hours, the Gaza’s health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. At least 33, 899 Palestinians have been killed and 76,664 others injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023, the ministry said. According to the statement, many people are still trapped under rubble and Israeli forces prevent the civil defense crews and healthcare workers from reaching them. >>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/33-899-palestinians-killed-in-gaza-since-oct-7-34909?page=1


UN Women: 10,000 Palestinian women
Jinha - Womens News Agency - April 17, 2024
<<UN Women: 10,000 Palestinian women killed in Gaza since Oct.7
Since October 7, 2023, 10,000 Palestinian women in Gaza have been killed, among them an estimated 6,000 mothers, leaving 19,000 children orphaned, according to UN Women.
News Center- UN Women launched its latest Gender Alert on Gaza on Tuesday. More than one million Palestinian women and girls in Gaza have almost no access to food or safe water, with disease growing amidst inhumane living conditions, UN Women said.
'10,000 Palestinian women have been killed'
<Six months into the war, 10,000 Palestinian women in Gaza have been killed, among them an estimated 6,000 mothers, leaving 19,000 children orphaned. Women who have survived Israeli bombardment and ground operations have been displaced, widowed, and facing starvation. This devastating differentiated impact continues to make the war on Gaza also a war on women,> UN Women said. More than one million Palestinian women and girls in Gaza are facing catastrophic hunger, with almost no access to food, safe drinking water, functioning toilets or running water, creating life-threatening risks. Access to clean water is especially critical for breastfeeding mothers and pregnant women, who have higher daily water and caloric intake requirements. It is also essential for the ability of women and girls to manage their menstrual hygiene with dignity and safety. UN Women estimates that 10 million disposable menstrual pads or four million reusable sanitary pads are required each month to cover the needs of 690,000 women and girls in Gaza.
6,000 mothers killed since Oct.7
<More than ten thousand women have been killed so far, of which an estimated six thousand are mothers. Women who have survived the bombing are suffering daily starvation, sickness, and constant fear. The war in Gaza is no doubt a war on women, who are paying a heavy price for a war not of their making>, Susanne Mikhail, Regional Director of UN Women in the Arab States, said in a media briefing in Geneva.
'Only peace can end this suffering'
<Only peace can end this suffering,> UN Women said. <UN Women joins the calls for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolution 2728 (2024) adopted on 25 March 2024, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid.> UN Women works with Palestinian women's organizations, and partners within the humanitarian systems/spaces to advocate for the rights and needs of women and girls, and to deliver urgently needed assistance. <In Gaza, UN Women has reached almost 100,000 women and their families with food, blankets, winter clothes, soap, diapers, and sanitary kits. Tens of thousands more items have been at the border crossings for weeks. This is only a fraction of what women and girls in Gaza need.> >>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/un-women-10-000-palestinian-women-killed-in-gaza-since-oct-7-34908?page=1

Sky News - April 17, 2024
<<Middle East latest: Iran warns 'tiniest' attack will spark 'fierce and painful response'; clear Israel will act, says Cameron. Iran's president has warned the <tiniest move> against the country would bring a <fierce> response during a speech at an annual army parade. Meanwhile, Lord Cameron is in Israel, where he will attempt to <limit> Benjamin Netanyahu's next move.
More than 33,800 Palestinians killed by Israel and 76,600 injured, says Gaza health ministry
Israel's military offensive has now killed at least 33,899 Palestinians in Gaza, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory has announced.
Another 76,664 have been wounded since 7 October, the ministry said. The updated figures come after 56 Palestinians were killed and 89 injured in the past 24 hours, it added. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its reports, but says most of those killed are women and children.
Ceasefire talks at 'delicate phase', says Qatari PM
<We are trying as much as possible to address this stumbling block,> said prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al Thani.
Qatar's premier condemned what he described as a policy of <collective punishment> pursued by Israel in its war against Hamas, and the latest escalation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The ceasefire discussions, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, are continuing as a humanitarian crisis unfolds in Gaza, with severe shortages of food, medicine and hospital care.
Russia is in dialogue with both Iran and Israel, the Kremlin has said.
Moscow has urged both of the need for de-escalation, said spokesman Dmitry Peskov. When asked if Tehran had warned Russia ahead of time about the strikes on Israel, Mr Peskov said he had nothing to say on the matter. He said Russia had close contacts with Iran and constructive contacts with Israel.
.....
Iranian navy escorting its commercial ships to Red Sea
Iran's navy is escorting Iranian commercial ships to the Red Sea, according to state media. Navy commander Shahram Irani said the Jamaran frigate was present in the Gulf of Aden. Tehran was ready to escort vessels of other countries, he added. The Red Sea has seen significant disruption to Israel-bound shipping due to attacks from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. On Saturday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized a Portuguese-flagged container ship linked to Israel in the Strait of Hormuz.
Clear Israel will act in response to Iran attack, says Cameron
It is clear Israel is making a decision to act in response to Iran's attack, Lord Cameron has said.
Speaking from Israel, where he is meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the foreign secretary said the UK hopes Israel's retaliation <does as little to escalate this as possible>. The UK wants to see <coordinated sanctions against Iran>, he said, adding there is more the UK can do.
<It is right to show solidarity with Israel, it is right to have made our views clear about what should happen next, but it is clear the Israelis are making a decision to act. We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible and in a way that, as I said yesterday, is smart as well as tough.> He said the UK has sanctioned dozens of people in Iran and the entire Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, but there was <more that we can do to show a united front that Iran is behind so much of the malign activity in this region>. There was a <real need> to refocus on Gaza, including Hamas, the hostage crisis, getting aid into the territory and securing a pause in the conflict, said Lord Cameron. 'Tiniest move' against Iran will spark 'fierce and painful' response, warns president. Iran's president has warned the <tiniest move> against the country would bring a <fierce> response, state media reports. <The smallest action against Iran's interests will definitely be met with a fierce, widespread and painful response against all its perpetrators,> the Iranian president warned, according to Tasnim news agency. President Ebrahim Raisi spoke at an annual army parade ahead of National Army Day tomorrow. The parade was relocated to a barracks north of the capital, Tehran, from its usual venue on a highway in the city's southern outskirts, with no explanation given for the move.
State TV did not broadcast it live, as it has in previous years.
Italy calls on Israel to halt military operation in Gaza
Italy has called on Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza.
Antonio Tajani, the foreign minister, said it was time for a ceasefire. In an interview with La Stampa, Mr Tajani stressed that the war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's <barbaric> assault. He then added: <However, now a ceasefire is necessary. Israel must stop the military operations that have massively affected the Palestinian population.> The interview was conducted ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Seven which will be hosted by Mr Tajani.>>
https://news.sky.com/story/middle-east-latest-un-nuclear-watchdog-concerned-israel-could-target-iranian-nuclear-facilities-in-revenge-attack-12978800

France 24 - April 17, 2024
<<Live: US, EU plan more Iran sanctions over attack on Israel
The European Union and the United States are weighing toughened sanctions against Iran as a two-day EU summit gets under way in Brussels. Western powers are also seeking to dissuade Israel from escalating regional hostilities in its riposte to the Iranian attack as the Israeli war cabinet meets again on Wednesday. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates on the situation in the Middle East.
Summary:
The EU, the US and the G7 are looking at expanding sanctions against Iran after Tehran's attack on Israel. A two-day EU leaders' summit in Brussels begins on Wednesday, during which the dangerous escalation in the Middle East will loom large on the agenda.
Iran celebrated the "success" of its weekend drone and missile attack on Israel as it staged an annual military parade on Wednesday.
Talks on a Gaza ceasefire and a release of hostages are at a "delicate phase", the Qatari prime minister said on Wednesday.
The UN Security Council is expected to vote Thursday on a Palestinian bid for full UN membership, diplomats told AFP. Earlier, a Security Council committee considering the Palestinian application said it was "unable to make a unanimous recommendation" on the bid.
At least 33,000 Palestinians have been killed and an estimated 76,575 have been injured in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Some 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks that sparked the war and 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.>>
Read more here:
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240417-%F0%9F%94%B4-live-security-council-to-vote-on-palestinian-state-un-membership

France 24 - April 16, 2024
<<US, EU working to expand Iran sanctions after Israel attack
Brussels was starting work on expanding sanctions against Iran after Tehran's attack on Israel, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also warned of further sanctions targeting Iran following its unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend, saying she expects Washington will take added action "in the coming days". Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
Summary:
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday said he was urging countries to place sanctions on Iran's missile programme and proscribe its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. Israel's armed forces chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi had on Monday vowed a military response to Iran's weekend attack.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has warned Israel it will face a "painful response" if it takes the "slightest action" in response to Tehran's weekend attack on Israel. Iran says its first-ever direct attack on Israel was a response to the strike on its consulate in Damascus, Syria, which killed seven Revolutionary Guards including two generals.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing towards action this week on aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, unveiling an elaborate plan to break a package into separate votes to squeeze through the House's political divides on foreign policy.
At least 33,843 Palestinians have been killed and an estimated 76,575 have been injured in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Some 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks that sparked the war and 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.>>
Read more here:
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240416-%F0%9F%94%B4-live-us-house-of-representatives-to-vote-on-israel-aid


18 killed in Israeli airstrikes
Jinha - Womens News Agency - April 17, 2024
<<At least 18 killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza
At least 18 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting a house in Rafah and Al-Maghazi refugee camp on Tuesday.
News Center- Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have continued since October 7, 2023. Last night, an Israeli airstrike hit a house in Rafah killing seven people, including children, and injuring several others, and Israeli tanks pushed back into parts of the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday that they had left weeks ago, according to the reports.
Tanks surrounded some schools where displaced families have taken refuge
Reuters reported today that Israeli tanks advanced into Beit Hanoun and surrounded some schools where displaced families have taken refuge. <Occupation soldiers ordered all families inside the schools and the nearby houses where the tanks had advanced to evacuate. The soldiers detained many men,> one resident of northern Gaza told Reuters
Many families began moving out again on Tuesday
Beit Hanoun was the home to 60,000 people and it was one of the first areas targeted by Israel's ground offensive in Gaza last October. Heavy bombardment turned most of Beit Hanoun. <Many families who had returned to Beit Hanoun and Jabalia in recent weeks after Israeli forces withdrew, began moving out again on Tuesday because of the new raid,> some residents told Reuters. Just before midnight, an Israeli airstrike hit a house in Rafah and killed seven people, including children, and wounded several others, Palestinian health officials said. There was no immediate Israeli comment. An Israeli airstrike also killed 11 Palestinians, including children, in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Palestinian health officials said. 33,843 Palestinians, including at least 14,500 children and 9,560 women, have been killed and 76,575 others injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.>>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/at-least-18-killed-in-israeli-airstrikes-on-gaza-34906

Sky News - April 16, 2024
<<What impact would proscribing Iran's IRGC as a terrorist organisation have?
Designating the IRGC a terrorist organisation would make them the first state agency to be classified and put them in the same category as groups like ISIS, Al Qaeda and Hamas. Iran's Revolutionary Guard was formed in 1979 following the Iranian revolution to protect the Islamic regime. It has evolved over the decades into a political and economic force, as well as a military one. The Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s saw the IGRC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) develop into a more structured fighting force and with more than 190,000 members, it rivals Iran's regular armed forces.
The IRGC has an air force, navy, ground troops, cyber command and the feared Basij paramilitary force which is tasked with domestic security.
Middle East latest: UN watchdog 'concerned' Israel could target Iranian nuclear facilities
The UK has imposed hundreds of sanctions on Iran including individual IRGC commanders, as have other Western nations, but it has made little difference to their operations or ambitions.>>
Source:
https://news.sky.com/story/what-impact-would-proscribing-irans-irgc-as-a-terrorist-organisation-have-13116465 
 
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