Israel believes Gazans “will adapt” to famine; more Israeli lies laid bare – War on Gaza Day 564

contact@ifamericansknew.org April 23, 2025 famine, israeli lies, Mahmoud Khalil, Netanyahu, unexploded ordnance

Palestinian children play on a horse cart in front of the makeshift tents, in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, Gaza on April 22, 2025. (Dawoud Abo Alkas – Anadolu Agency)

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

Israeli missiles killed at least 42 Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, including several bombings of tents that resulted in Palestinians being burned alive in agony, including children.

NOTE: The Gaza Health Ministry’s daily casualty figures are based on the number of dead and wounded Palestinians brought to hospitals, and does not include victims that are under the rubble or elsewhere, where ambulance and civil defense crews can not reach them.

Two Lebanese people were killed by Israeli drone strikes in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, the Health Ministry said.

Israel expects ‘significant crisis’ in Gaza as it plans to continue total blockade

Israel will continue its complete blockade of Gaza, with the army expecting a “significant crisis” to unfold in the Palestinian enclave in two weeks.

According to a report on Israeli news site Walla, the Israeli military is not concerned about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, which has been without any humanitarian aid for the last 51 days after Israel declared its total blockade.

Sources in Israel’s Southern Command, who spoke to Walla, estimated that “in two weeks, a significant crisis will begin in the Gaza Strip regarding food, medical equipment and medicines”.

According to these sources, Palestinians in Gaza “will adapt to the situation over the coming months, as long as they have flour, water and reasonable shelter”.

In a statement released on Monday, the UN body OCHA said that since Israel began its blockade, “not a single truck carrying food, fuel, medicine or any other essentials has been allowed in – no matter how critical they are for people’s survival” (continue reading here).

Unexploded ordnance from Israeli war costs 7-year-old Gazan child his sight

An exploded ordnance left over by the Israeli army in the northern Gaza town of Jabaliya has changed the life of Palestinian child Mohamed Hegazy forever.

The 7-year-old was playing with other children outside his destroyed home when he grabbed a leftover device out of curiosity, which immediately exploded, costing him his right eye.

He is also threatened to lose his left eye if he is not evacuated for medical treatment outside the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.

“He was like any child who went out to play outside our destroyed house when we heard an explosion all of a sudden and found him covered in blood,” his father, Khaled Hegazy, recalled.

“We quickly rushed him to a hospital, but due to a shortage of medicine and equipment, we had to transfer him to another hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove his right eye. His condition remains critical.”

The Palestinian father said that his son needs what he described as a “medical miracle” to save his left eye.

“If he is not transferred for treatment outside Gaza soon, my son will also lose sight in his other eye,” he said (continue reading here).

RELATED: Israel blocks polio vaccines, endangers over 600,000 children in Gaza: Health Ministry

Israeli broadcaster: Army fabricated Gaza tunnel discovery to stall ceasefire deal

An investigation by Israel’s public broadcasterKAN has revealed that the Israeli military fabricated the discovery of a tunnel in the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, claiming the structure was, in fact, a shallow canal.

Last August, the army published photos of an alleged tunnel in the demilitarized area along the border.

“There was never a tunnel, but a canal covered in dirt,” KAN said.

The purpose of this lie “was to exaggerate the importance of the Philadelphi Corridor and delay a hostage deal,” it added.

According to KAN, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant backed the findings, saying, “It was not a tunnel, but rather an attempt to prevent a ceasefire agreement.”

Gallant clarified that the structure was only about one meter deep and was misleadingly presented to the public as a deep tunnel. “It was promoted to the public as a deep tunnel to prevent reaching a deal with Hamas,” he added.

RELATED: Israel mulls re-arresting released Palestinian prisoners, media reports claim

Israeli occupation soldiers move through agricultural lands of Tulkarm Refugee Camp, West Bank, on February 05, 2025 (Nedal Eshtayah/Anadolu Agency)

Netanyahu ordered intel chief to ‘defy high court’ if constitutional crisis erupts

Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar claimed in an affidavit to Israel’s High Court on 21 April that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked him to spy on anti-government protesters and side with him against the court in any constitutional crisis.

The affidavit was submitted as part of a petition against Bar’s expected dismissal by Netanyahu’s cabinet.

According to Bar, Netanyahu told him “on more than one occasion” that he expected the Shin Bet chief to act against Israeli citizens involved in protests against the government.

Bar also said in the affidavit that he was asked to “provide details about the identities of Israeli citizens, protest activists, who had followed security personnel,” with particular emphasis on monitoring “protest funders.”

The affidavit stated that Netanyahu also asked Bar to assist in delaying the prime minister’s corruption trial (continue reading here).

On Tuesday, Netanyahu appeared in court for the 24th time in his corruption trial.

RELATED: Israeli opposition labels Netanyahu a national security threat, calls for his resignation

Israeli army needs additional $2.6 billion to expand Gaza war: Report

The Israeli army estimates that it will need an additional 10 billion shekels ($2.6 billion) to expand its war on the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

“The renewal of the war in Gaza over a month ago, after the ceasefire, and the plan to expand it with a large-scale ground operation, is incurring significant costs,” the daily said.

It added that the increase is strongly opposed by the Finance Ministry.

“It is inconceivable that, beyond the nearly $31 billion already allocated – including the use of a $2.6 billion reserve fund – another $2.6 billion could be added to an already inflated defense budget,” a senior official told the newspaper.

The daily said that the additional expenses will be used to seize about 40% of Gaza’s territory in the coming weeks, enhancing the security of Israeli settlements near the Gaza border and preventing the resumption of rocket fire into Israel.

According to the figures released by the Israeli economics newspaper Calcalist earlier this year, Israel spent 250 billion shekels ($67.57 billion) in 2024 for its military onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

NOTE: The United States spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel in the first year of Israel’s now 18-month-old genocide. It remains to be seen whether the Trump administration will provide the extra funds if the Israeli Finance Ministry does not come through.

Trump Told Congress He Was Building Up US Forces in Mideast To Protect Israel

The White House on Tuesday published a letter President Trump sent to Congress on March 25 that said he was ordering a buildup of US military forces in the Middle East to protect Israel and US assets in the region.

In the letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, Trump said he was writing it to inform them of the situation in Yemen and the broader Middle East region.

“First, I directed the Department of Defense to move additional forces equipped for combat into the Middle East to enhance the defensive capabilities available to United States forces and facilitate necessary military actions,” the president wrote.

He said the military buildup included “capabilities for air and missile defense of Israel and of locations hosting United States forces, as well as fighter, support, and reconnaissance aircraft to enable strikes on Houthi targets.”

Detained Columbia activist misses birth of his 1st child after release request denied

Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University who was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers for his participation in pro-Palestinian protests, was barred from attending the birth of his first child Monday after immigration authorities denied a request for his temporary release, his wife said in a statement.

In a statement shared with Anadolu, Noor Abdalla called the decision “purposeful” and accused the agency of attempting to punish her family.

“Despite our request for ICE to allow Mahmoud to attend the birth, they denied his temporary release to meet our son,” she said. “This was a purposeful decision by ICE to make me, Mahmoud, and our son suffer.”

“ICE and the Trump administration have stolen these precious moments from our family in an attempt to silence Mahmoud’s support for Palestinian freedom,” she said (continue reading here).

NEWS ON CAMPUS PROTESTS, ARRESTS, DEPORTATIONS, CRACK-DOWNS:

The Cradle: Harvard sues Trump, defies call to crack down on pro-Palestine speech

Middle East Monitor: Deporting dissent: The dangerous precedent set by the persecution of pro-Palestine activists

MORE NEWS:

Anadolu Agency: Gaza authority warns against Israeli-backed rumors of mass migration

Middle East Monitor: Israel arrests Palestinian child to pressure his father to turn himself in

972 Mag: A settler shot a Palestinian father in the leg. Soldiers arrived to detain his son

Middle East Monitor: Israel to use Absentee Property Law to approve 1,900 settlement units in Jerusalem

Truthout: Orbán Faces ICC Investigation After Refusing to Arrest Netanyahu in Hungary

IMEMC Daily Reports

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – APRIL 20, 2025:

At least 52,229 Palestinians killed, 125,384 injured – including:
at least 51,266 killed in Gaza (~15,600 children)
at least 963 killed in the West Bank (~187 children)
at least 116,991 injured in Gaza
at least 8,393 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 – April 20, 2025: ~1,592 – including ~1,139 on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 408 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 soldiers.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers. Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org

Wednesday, 23 April 2025