Gaza is breathing its last breathâ: Ministry of Health â Day 546
Compilation of news reports â IAK staff
Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 86 Palestinians, the Health Ministry said on Friday.
Among the dead were at least 19 members of the Akkad family in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported on 4 April that Israeli forces have killed 1,249 people and injured 3,022 since Israel resumed its war on Gaza on 18 March, unilaterally ending a ceasefire reached with Hamas in January.
RELATED: âNothing justifies killing of children,â UNRWA chief says as Israeli attacks on Gaza intensify
In Jenin, West Bank, Israeli soldiers fatally shot Hussein Jamil Hardan, 42, and took away his corpse.
Is Israel testing new weapons on Gaza?
Dr Munir Al-Bursh, director general of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, issued a stark warning that the Strip is âbreathing its last breathâ, as Israeli occupation forces escalate their assault using what he described as new and unfamiliar weapons that are causing severe burns and grotesquely disfiguring injuries, the Palestinian Information Center reported yesterday.
RECOMMENDED READING: Gaza: Testing Ground for Israelâs Global Weapons Industry
West Bank: Israeli army kills Palestinian youth for throwing stones
Israel said Friday that its soldiers shot dead a Palestinian who threw stones at troops near the occupied West Bank village of Husan, whose mayor told AFP the boy was 17.
The army said that on Thursday evening it had âeliminated one terroristâ who was throwing stones at Israeli soldiers.
Husan mayor Jamal Sabateen said the army had opened fired on youngsters throwing stones in the village west of Bethlehem.
âThe Israeli army opened fire on them â killed one and injured another. The army took them, and up until now, they havenât been returned,â Sabateen told AFP.
The West Bank-based Palestinian health ministry reported the killing of the young man âby Israeli gunfireâ and identified him as Yussef Zaoul.
The Israeli army claimed that its soldiers opened fire on Palestinians who allegedly threw stones at military jeeps on a settler road, known as Route 375, near Husan.
Trump sending Israel 20,000 assault rifles that Biden had delayed, say sources
The Trump administration moved forward with the sale of more than 20,000 US-made assault rifles to Israel last month, according to a document seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the matter, pushing ahead with a sale that the administration of former President Joe Biden had delayed over concerns they could be used by extremist Israeli settlers.
The State Department sent a notification to Congress on 6 March for the $24 million sale, saying the end user would be the Israeli National Police, according to the document, Reuters reports.
The rifle sale is a small transaction next to the billions of dollars worth of weapons that Washington supplies to Israel. But it drew attention when the Biden administration delayed the sale over concerns that the weapons could end up in the hands of Israeli settlers, some of whom have carried out attacks on Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Biden administration imposed sanctions on individuals and entities accused of committing violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which has seen a rise in settler attacks on Palestinians.
On his first day in office on 20 January, Trump issued an executive order rescinding US sanctions on Israeli settlers in a reversal of US policy. Since then, his administration has approved the sale of billions of dollars worth of weapons to Israel.
FOR A SURVEY OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATIONâS POLICIES AND ACTIONS VIS-A-VIS ISRAEL, READ:
New report shows Biden is going to extraordinary lengths to continue arming Israel.
Bidenâs war on Gaza is now a war on truth and the right to protest.
The Case Against Joe Biden for Complicity in Genocide
Israel Gives Biden His Marching Orders
Paid to protect? AIPAC-funded âIsrael Firstâ politicians warn UN against investigating Tel Aviv
In yet another indication of the âIsrael Firstâ agenda promoted by members of Congress, senior US lawmakers have threatened to impose sanctions on the UN if it proceeds with efforts to investigate alleged Israeli war crimes.
In a letter dated 31 March 2025, US Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representative Brian Mast (R-Florida), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, cautioned UN Secretary-General, AntĂłnio Guterres, against establishing a special investigatory mechanism targeting Israel within the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). They warned that such actions would lead to sanctions similar to those imposed on the International Criminal Court (ICC) following its issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli officials.
The lawmakers expressed concern over what they described as the UNHRCâs âoverwhelming and disproportionateâ focus on Israel, labelling it part of a âconcerning and insidious anti-Israel trendâ within the UN. They asserted that any UN entity supporting an Israel-specific international investigative mechanism would âface the same consequences as the ICC faced for its blatant over-reach and disregard for sovereign prerogatives.â
The UN has consistently rejected the claim pushed by advocates of Israel that it targets the apartheid state. It argues that Israel is often the subject of investigations because of its ongoing violation of international law since its founding in 1948. Critics also point out that the UN has been ineffective in holding Israel to account for its many violations of international law and human rights abuse.
Senator Risch and Representative Mast have been prominent supporters of Israel. Senator Risch has led initiatives such as the âStand with Israel Actâ, aimed at countering perceived bias against Israel within the UN. He has also opposed measures to withhold arms sales to Israel, stating that such actions would âabandon a key allyâ.
Representative Mast, a US Army veteran, volunteered with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) after his military service, citing shared values of âfreedom, democracy and mutual respect for all peopleâ. He has been a vocal advocate for Israel in Congress, wearing an IDF uniform to the US Capitol in a show of support after 7 October.
Both lawmakers have received substantial contributions from pro-Israel groups. Senator Risch has received approximately $255,787 from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Representative Mast is said to have received nearly $700,000 from AIPAC over his career. Critics argue that such contributions influence their staunch pro-Israel positions, raising questions about prioritizing foreign interests over American constituents.
MORE ON AIPAC:
Debunking 6 AIPAC Myths About the US-Israel Relationship
Ex-AIPAC Staffer: âI Woke Up to What Israel Wasâ
US pressured Palestinian Authority to drop investigative power from UN resolution
A UN Human Rights Council (HRC) resolutionthat would have established a mechanism to help with the investigation of crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories was watered down following backroom pressure from the US, a US official and a source briefed by a European diplomat told Middle East Eye.
The final wording of the resolution, adopted by the council this week, invites the UN General Assembly only âto consider establishingâ such a body.
However, earlier drafts of the resolution would have seen the establishment of the mechanism, an initiative that experts say has been powerful in the investigation of serious crimes in Syria and Myanmar.
A US official told MEE that the resolution was changed as a result of US pressure that is understood to have happened at the highest levels of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
âWe successfully convinced the Palestinian Authority to water down the resolution requesting a fact-finding mission,â the official said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment.
They added that the draft was changed to âconsider establishingâ.
The PA and Palestinian mission in Geneva did not respond to requests for comment (continue reading here).
âHundreds of millions blown for minimal successâ: Washington hits snag against Yemen
The US military has used $200 million in munitions since it restarted its campaign against Yemen over two weeks ago â the success of which has been âlimited,â according to a 4 April report by the New York Times (NYT).
The report comes as US President Donald Trump has been boasting about the success of Washingtonâs campaign against the Ansarallah resistance movement, which he says has been âdecimated.â
âIn closed briefings in recent days, Pentagon officials have acknowledged that there has been only limited success in destroying the Houthisâ vast, largely underground arsenal of missiles, drones and launchers,â anonymous congressional aides and officials told NYT.
The sources say Ansarallah and the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) â which are merged â have managed to reinforce many of their military sites.
âIn just three weeks, the Pentagon has used $200 million worth of munitions, in addition to the immense operational and personnel costs to deploy two aircraft carriers, additional B-2 bombers and fighter jets, as well as Patriot and THAAD air defenses to the Middle East,â according to the officials.
The total cost of the campaign could likely surge past $1 billion by next week, the NYT report notes. It adds that many precision bombs are being used, including advanced ones, which is starting to cause concern about the navyâs stocks within the Pentagon.
Last year, US navy officials acknowledged that confrontations with Yemeni forces marked the most intense naval combat Washington has faced since the Second World War.
Yemeni attacks on Israel and Israeli-linked shipping began in 2023 in response to the war on Gaza.
RELATED: Yemenâs Houthi leader vows to continue targeting US warships
Netanyahu Expected to Meet With Trump in Washington on Monday, Official Says
The prime minister was in Hungary when he received Trumpâs invitation to the White House, a source in the delegation said. Netanyahuâs office has not confirmed the trip, which would delay his corruption trial testimony
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, according to a source familiar with the details.
A source in Netanyahuâs delegation to Budapest said Trump invited Netanyahu for a meeting after the prime minister raised the issue of new U.S. tariffs on Israel in a phone call with Trump.
The call was made in the presence of Hungarian President Viktor OrbĂĄn, whom Netanyahu met in Budapest over the last few days.
Alleging tolerance for antisemitism, Trump administration could freeze $510M in grants to Brown University
The Trump administration is considering freezing $510 million in grants to Brown University as it reviews the top-tier Ivy League schoolâs handling of alleged antisemitism and its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, a right-wing website reported on Thursday.
The move follows a February warning from the Education Department to 60 institutions, including Brown, stating that federal action could be taken if they failed to meet their obligations under the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students, according to a report by The Daily Caller.
Brown is already under federal monitoring due to a prior civil rights investigation and agreement with the department, the report said.
An administration official told The Daily Caller that the funding freeze would remain in place during the review, mirroring a similar decision earlier this week to halt $210 million in grants to Princeton University as it faces a probe into alleged antisemitism.
The investigation into Princeton dates back to the Biden administration, which launched a civil rights probe in 2024 following a complaint by Campus Reform, a conservative website. The complaint alleged that Princeton failed to address antisemitic incidents, including an October 2023 pro-Palestinian walkout where students chanted, âBrick by brick, wall by wall, apartheid has got to fall.â
NOTE: Pro-Israel organizations consistently work to silence Palestine advocacy on campus â a free speech violation. One strategy they use is topressure universities to officially adopt the IHRA âdefinitionâ of antisemitism, which defines legitimate criticism of Israel as antisemitic. Other strategies include blocking prestigious appointments of and events with supporters of Palestinian rights, threatening to withhold major donations, and more. Typically, any move by university administration that defies the standard pro-Israel position is followed by an apology like the one Sonoma State Universityâs president Mike Lee issued â an apology that recognizes only the sentiments of pro-Israel students and ignoring the actual issues of free speech and divestment from Israel.
Pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses have overall been peaceful and non-confrontational, and have notably included a significant number of Jewish students. When there has been violence, it has come from pro-Israel counter-protesters and police.
The silencing of pro-Palestine campus protest violates studentsâ and professorsâ rights to free speech.
It is also notable that pro-Israel orgs regularly sponsor trips to Israel for influencers and theinfluence-able â trips that invariably provide a whitewashed view of Israel and no exposure to the Palestinian narrative, and by withholding the truth, âbuyâ new Israel partisans.
RELATED: The US is disappearing dissenters in broad daylight
Israeli embassy attacks London mayor Sadiq Khan for mentioning Gaza victims in Eid speech
The Israeli embassy in the UK has released a statement attacking London Mayor Sadiq Khan after he mentioned the number of people killed by Israelâs war on Gaza in an address for Eid al-Fitr.
Khan, who became Londonâs first Muslim mayor in 2016, said that Muslims were marking a sombre Eid in his speech.
âThis year, for many, the usual happiness we feel during Eid will be tempered by the appalling suffering and killing that continues in Sudan and Palestine.â
âMore than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israelâs ongoing military campaign, including more than 15,000 children,â he added.
âThese betrayals of humanity should weigh heavily on our collective conscience. But Iâm proud that while the international community has chosen to avert its gaze, Londoners have not,â Khan continued.
MORE NEWS:
The Cradle: Turkiye calls Israel âbiggest threat to regional peaceâ after deadly Syria strikes
The New Arab: Israel to allow âPassover toursâ in recently occupied Syrian territory
IMEMC Daily Reports
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 â APRIL 1, 2025:
- At least 51,347 Palestinians killed, 122,655 injured â including:
- at least 50,399 killed in Gaza (~15,500 children)
- at least 948 killed in the West Bank (~187 children)
- at least 114,583 injured in Gaza
- at least 8,072 injured in the West Bank
According to Palestinian authorities, during the ceasefire Jan. 19- March 18 2025, Israeli attacks killed at least 150 Gazans, and Israel committed at least 962 ceasefire violations.
Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 11,000 more are still buried under rubble.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 â April 1, 2025: ~1,592 â including ~1,139 on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 407 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, 46 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel.
NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldie
- Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)
- Congress must keep weapons out of Israel if Trump likes it or not
- Susan Abulhawaâs reply to PEN Americaâs complicity with genocide
- The U.S. has become a two-tier country: Israel partisans on top
- Israelâs Genocide Has Killed More Journalists Than WWI and WWII Combined: Report
- âEvery Atrocity Imaginableâ: Litany of Israeli War Crimes Continues
- Inside Israelâs âtortureâ jails where Palestinians held without charge tell of brutal treatment
- Announcement: If Americans Knew Video Countering Israeli Propaganda
- Israelâs latest vision for Gaza has a name: Concentration camp
- The US is disappearing dissenters in broad daylight
- The Zionist Destruction of American Higher Education
- In Gaza, Almost Every IDF Platoon Keeps a Human Shield, a Sub-army of Palestinian Slaves
- Mike Huckabee Uses Alleged Christianity To Justify Ethnic Cleansing
- âRaped by Israeli Soldiers.â Silence From Western Media
- The Gaza demonstrations against Hamas & the desire for certainty
- U.S. strikes on Yemen are unconstitutional & violate U.N. charter
- âThe Target is Unmistakableâ: The Shooting of Gazaâs Children
- If Americans Knew video to counter Israeli propaganda campaign
- Drone operation a death sentence for Gazaâs journalists
- Weaponizing starvation, Israel seeks full control over Gaza aid distribution
No comments:
Post a Comment