Live Updates
Middle East Eye, Apr 29 2024
Evening recap
Gaza’s health ministry said that 34 people were killed in Israeli attacks on the enclave in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 34,488 since Oct 7. An additional 77,643 have been wounded since the start of the war. Israel’s overnight air strikes on Rafah killed 20 people, including five children, according to Al Jazeera’s correspondent. In other developments:
- Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said that bilateral agreements between his country and the US were “very, very close.”
- UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that the latest Israeli proposal for a truce deal in Gaza included a 40-day pause in hostilities and the release of potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli captives.
- Columbia University has failed to reach an agreement with students organising the pro-Palestine encampment, the president has said.
- The Pentagon said that the construction of a temporary pier by the US military to enhance aid deliveries to Gaza with cost a minimum of $320m for Washington.
- Blinken held a meeting with MbS in Riyadh on Monday, a US official said.
- The US State Dept said that it found five units of the Israeli military responsible for significant human rights violations in incidents occurring outside of Gaza before the war on Gaza began on Oct 7.
Yemen’s Houthis say they targeted two US destroyers
Yemen’s Houthis said they targeted two US destroyers in the Red Sea, along with the vessel Cyclades and the MSC Orion in the Indian Ocean, their military spokesman Yahya Sarea announced in a televised speech early on Tuesday. For months, Houthi forces have conducted attacks on shipping lanes, in what they say is in support of Palestinians in the war in Gaza.
Hamas delegation leaves Cairo for Gaza ceasefire talks
Late Monday, a Hamas delegation left Cairo, reported Egypt’s state-affiliated Al Qahera TV, and they are expected to return with a written response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal.
US finds Israeli military units guilty of human rights violations
The US State Dept said that it found five units of the Israeli military responsible for significant human rights violations in incidents occurring outside of Gaza before the war on Gaza began on Oct 7. State Dept deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters that four of the units have successfully addressed the violations, whereas Israel has provided supplementary information concerning the fifth unit. The US says it is presently engaged in ongoing discussions with the Israeli government regarding this matter.
Blinken meets with Saudi crown prince in Riyadh
Blinken held a meeting with MbS in Riyadh on Monday, a US official said. Blinken is currently in Saudi Arabia as part of an extensive Middle East tour focused on engaging with Arab allies regarding post-war Gaza issues. Additionally, he aims to urge Netanyahu to implement measures demanded by Biden earlier this month to enhance the humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
US to spend at least $320m on Gaza aid pier, Pentagon says
The Pentagon announced on Monday that the construction of a temporary pier by the US military to enhance aid deliveries to Gaza will cost a minimum of $320m for Washington. Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told journalists:
That’s about our rough estimate right now, approximately $320m. That’s an initial cost for the temporary pier.
On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that the pier’s construction had begun, with expectations for it to become operational in early May. Following its completion, aid will be transported through commercial vessels to a floating platform off the Gaza coast. From there, the aid will be transferred to smaller vessels, conveyed to the pier, and then transported to land by truck for distribution.
Remains of Palestinian grandmother found after Israeli raid
It took Naifa Rizq al-Sawada’s family an agonising two weeks to discover what had happened to the beloved grandmother following a raid by the Israeli army on her home. The 92-year-old Palestinian woman, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, was found as a pile of charred bones on her granddaughter’s burned bed, according to her daughter. The grandmother had been separated from her family by Israeli soldiers during their assault on al-Shifa Medical Complex and its vicinity in mid-March in western Gaza City. After raiding the multi-floor residential building belonging to Sawada and her married children, troops separated men and women, who were forced to head south. For two weeks, the family did not know Sawada’s fate. Naifa’s daughter Maha al-Nawati told MEE that as soon as the Israelis withdrew, her brother, sister and their children rushed to the building to find any traces of Sawada. Nawati said:
They entered my niece’s bedroom; her bed was charred, and the remains of mum’s bones were there.
Read more: Remains of Palestinian grandmother found after Israeli raid.
French police clear protest encampment at Sorbonne University
Police forcibly cleared dozens of protesters camped out in Sorbonne University in Paris on Monday to protest against Israel’s war on Gaza, a student there told Reuters. It came three days after protests at Sciences Po university in the French capital. The student said outside the gates of the Sorbonne:
We have every reason, like in Yale, in Columbia, in Sciences Po to condemn what we can see is happening.
The university closed its buildings for the day during the peaceful protests.
Cameron urges Hamas to take ‘very generous’ Israeli proposal for 40-day truce
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Monday that the latest Israeli proposal for a truce deal in Gaza included a 40-day pause in hostilities and the release of potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli captives. Cameron said in a World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh:
I hope Hamas do take this deal and, frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying: ‘Take that deal.’
He described the proposal as “very generous”.
Heat wave exacerbates suffering in Gaza
Columbia University fails to agree with protesting students, president says
Columbia University has failed to reach an agreement with students organising the pro-Palestine encampment, the president has said. In a statement, Minouche Shafik said “constructive dialogue” was held between academic leaders and students since Wednesday but no agreement has been found. She added the university “will not divest from Israel,” a key demand by the students.
European states expected to recognise Palestinian statehood by end May, Borrell says
Several European member states are expected to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of May, Josep Borrell said on Monday at the sidelines of a World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh.
Gaza’s Christians hold Orthodox Palm Sunday mass
Palestinian Christians attended mass for Orthodox Palm Sunday in the Church of St Porphyrius in Gaza City, as Israel carries out its bombing and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip. The Church of St Porphyrius was hit by Israel on Oct 19, killing at least 18 Palestinians who were sheltering there.
Egyptian foreign minister ‘hopeful’ for Israel-Hamas truce
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said he is hopeful about a new proposal for a Gaza truce and hostage release, as a delegation from Hamas is expected in Cairo for talks. He said at the World Economic Forum in Riyadh:
We are hopeful the proposal has taken into account the positions of both sides and has tried to extract moderation.
Israel ‘undoubtedly’ committing genocide says Holocaust scholar Amos Goldberg
A professor of Holocaust history at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Amos Goldberg, has said that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. In an opinion piece published by The Palestine Project, he argued:
The scale of killing and destruction inflicted by Israel on Gaza constitutes a deliberate crushing of Palestinian existence in Gaza. It’s so difficult and painful to admit it, but despite all that, we can no longer avoid this conclusion. Jewish history will be henceforth stained.
The professor argued that what is happening in Gaza does not need to resemble the Holocaust in order to qualify as a genocide, saying that although each genocide is different, they are all motivated by “an authentic sense of self-defence.” Read more: Israel ‘undoubtedly’ committing genocide says Holocaust scholar Amos Goldberg.
Blinken says Saudi-Israeli normalisation plan near ‘completion’, no Rafah plan that protects civilians yet
Blinken said the US and Saudi Arabia have done intensive work over the past month to reach a normalisation deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel. He said in Riyadh, at the World Economic Forum:
The work that Saudi Arabia, the US have been doing together in terms of our own agreements, I think, is potentially very close to completion.
Blinken reiterated the US’s opposition to an Israeli offensive on Rafah, saying:
We have not yet seen a plan that gives us confidence that civilians can be effectively protected.
Blinken says he hopes Hamas will accept ‘extraordinarily generous’ truce offer
Blinken said he is hopeful Hamas will accept an “extraordinarily generous” offer to halt Israel’s war on Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages. He said in Riyadh at the World Economic Forum:
Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel. They have to decide, and they have to decide quickly. I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision.
Gaza death toll rises to 34,488
Gaza’s health ministry said that 34 people were killed in Israeli attacks on the enclave in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 34,488 since Oct 7. An additional 77,643 have been wounded since the start of the war.
Blinken says Israel made ‘measurable progress’ on Gaza aid distribution
Blinken said his country has seen “measurable progress” in the humanitarian situation in Gaza over the past few weeks, but urged Israel to do more. Speaking at the opening of a US-Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Riyadh, Blinken added that the most effective way to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was through a ceasefire. The number of aid trucks entering Gaza remains below what the UN says is the minimum required to address the imminent famine in the enclave. Blinken also spoke of Iran’s Apr 13 attack on Israel, saying it shows the need for greater defence integration. He said:
This attack highlights the acute and growing threat from Iran but also the imperative that we work together on integrated defence.
Istanbul mayor Imamoglu calls Hamas a terror group
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu told CNN on Sunday that the Palestinian group Hamas should be considered a terrorist group due to its attacks on Israel on Oct 7. The comments by the prominent Turkish opposition politician represent a sharp contrast with Erdogan’s position, which has tolerated the presence of Hamas officials on Turkish territory and likened their fight to Turkey’s own historic struggle for independence. Imamoglu said, adding:
Of course, Hamas carried out an attack in Israel that we deeply regret. In our eyes, any organisation that carries out these terrorist acts and kills people en masse is a terrorist organisation.
Imamoglu, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), won a landslide victory in local elections on Mar 31, leading to his reelection as mayor of Turkey’s biggest city. He defeated his ruling AK Party rival, former minister of urbanisation, Murat Kurum, by nearly 12 points. Read more: Istanbul mayor Imamoglu calls Hamas a terror group.
French foreign minister says Gaza ceasefire talks progressing
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said that talks for a ceasefire in Gaza were progressing as he joined Blinken in Riyadh. The two officials are trying to push for an easing of the war between Israel and Hamas. Sejourne told Reuters on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum meeting:
Things are moving forward but you always have to be careful in these discussions and negotiations. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and we need a ceasefire. We will discuss the hostages, humanitarian situation and the ceasefire. Things are progressing, but we must always remain prudent in these discussions and negotiations.
Hamas’s Qassam Brigades say they fired at northern Israel from Lebanon
Hamas’s Qassam Brigades said they fired a barrage of rockets at the Gibor military camp in northern Israel from Lebanon. The Israeli army said around 20 rockets were launched, most of which were intercepted while others fell in open areas.
Barrage of over 30 rockets reportedly fired at northern Israel
Israeli media reports that a barrage of over 30 rockets has been fired on Upper Galilee, northern Israel on Monday morning.
Israel says it struck Hezbollah targets overnight
The Israeli army said it hit several Hezbollah positions on Sunday night, including what it claims were infrastructure and military buildings in the areas of Jabal Blat and Marwahin in southern Lebanon. French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne was in Lebanon on Sunday to meet with Lebanese officials and discuss ways to ease tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
Rafah strikes death toll rises to 20
Israel’s overnight air strikes on Rafah killed 20 people, including five children, according to Al Jazeera’s correspondent.
Morning update
Here are the latest updates:
- At least 26 people were killed in overnight Israeli air strikes on Rafah and Gaza City, Palestine’s WAFA reports
- Delegations from both Israel and Hamas are expected to arrive in Cairo today to hold hostage and ceasefire talks
- Basim Khandaqji, a Palestinian imprisoned by Israel since 2004, won the 2024 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) for his novel, A Mask, the Colour of the Sky, which he wrote in prison
- US CENTCOM says American forces “successfully engaged” five unmanned drones over the Red Sea
- Over 900 pro-Palestine protesters have been arrested in the US since the Apr 18, when police forcibly removed a pro-Palestine encampment at Columbia University.
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