Live Updates
Middle East Eye, May 7 2024
Evening recap
Israel continued to pummel Rafah with airstrikes Tuesday night as its ground forces operate in the eastern part of the southern border city. They also maintained control of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Meanwhile, Washington and Arab capitals were dealing with the fallout of Hamas accepting a ceasefire proposal introduced by Qatar and Egypt on Monday, as Israel rejects the offer and pursues its offensive. Israel bombed residential homes killing scores of Palestinians and sparked a fire at a municipal building in Rafah after shelling it with artillery. Aid workers and UN agencies warned against the humanitarian impact of Israel’s assault on Rafah. Here are the day’s other major developments:
- The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza staged a protest in Tel Aviv demanding Netanyahu reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas
- MSF warned that Israel’s offensive on Rafah would have “disastrous effects” for Palestinians as it shifted staff to central Gaza citing the Israeli offensive
- US news outlets reported the White House is stalling some arms deliveries to Israel to signal displeasure with its military campaign
- Hamas warned Israel would not have ‘a picnic’ in Rafah, promising tough armed resistance as it warned it would not agree to a ceasefire while Israel operates in the city
- Israel’s assault on Rafah and refusal to sign the ceasefire is riling Cairo, which first introduced the proposal
- CIA Chief Bill Burns is expected to travel to Israel on Wednesday to meet Netanyahu, Reuters reports.
Democratic Congresswoman calls on Biden ‘to use his power’ to stop Rafah attack
CIA Chief Bill Burns traveling to Israel to meet Netanyahu: Report
CIA Director Bill Burns will travel to Israel Wednesday to meet with Netanyahu, underlining the key role Burns’ has played in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. Burns was expected to be in Cairo on Tuesday to meet with Egyptian and Qatari officials who are also mediating between Hamas and Israel. Although Israel sent a delegation to Cairo, it is considered “mid-level,” and the final say on a ceasefire comes down to Netanyahu and his war cabinet. Reuters first reported the CIA Director’s travels.
Biden administration delays report on whether Israel violated international law with US arms
The Biden administration has delayed sending a report to Congress ruling whether Israel has violated US and international humanitarian law during its war on Gaza, Politico reported, citing unnamed Congressional sources. Politico cited an email to lawmakers that the report was “briefly delayed.” State Dept spox Matthew Miller said earlier on Tuesday that the report wasn’t finished, but that the administration was “trying very hard to meet that deadline,” adding it was possible “it slips just a little bit, but we are trying to get it done by tomorrow.” Miller said the deadline was set by the administration. Under an NSM issued by Biden in February, the administration said it would report to Congress by May 8 whether it found credible evidence of Israel’s assurances that its use of US weapons did not violate US or international law.
US condemns Israeli settler attack on Jordanian aid convoy
The US condemned on Tuesday an attack by Israeli settlers on a Jordanian aid convoy travelling to Erez crossing in northern Gaza. According to a readout of a call between Blinken and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi:
The Secretary strongly condemned the recent violent attacks on humanitarian aid convoys from Jordan to Gaza by extremists seeking to prevent aid from reaching Palestinian civilians in need.
The attack marked the second assault on a Jordanian convoy destined for Gaza in less then a week. Trucks with Jordanian aid have left the Hashemite Kingdom traveling across the occupied West Bank and Israel en route to Gaza.
Israel defying ICJ by blocking aid, Human rights executive says
Israel is blocking aid to Gaza in defiance of the International Court of Justice. Omar Shakir, a director at Human Rights Watch, tweeted:
Despite kids dying of starvation & famine, Israel is still blocking aid critical for the survival of Gaza’s population. States that continue to send arms to Israel risk complicity in Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians.
Israeli protestors try to attack UNRWA HQ in occupied East Jerusalem
The headquarters of UNRWA in occupied East Jerusalem have been attacked, the organisation’s chief said. Philippe Lazzarini tweeted:
This protest called by an elected member of the Jerusalem municipality is nothing less than harassment, intimidation, vandalism & damage to UN property.
A video posted on Twitter showed protestors waving Israeli flags slamming on the metal door of UNRWA HQ. They didn’t appear to breach the metal barrier.
US completes construction of Gaza pier, Pentagon says
The US has completed the construction of a floating pier off the coast of Gaza, but weather conditions are preventing the final assembly. Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said:
As of today, the construction of the two portions of the JLOTS, the floating pier and the Trident pier, are complete and awaiting final movement offshore. Today there are still forecasted high winds and high sea swells, which are causing unsafe conditions for the JLOTS components to be moved. So the pier sections and military vessels involved in its construction are still positioned at the port of Ashdod.
Egypt ‘angry’ at Israel for not signing ceasefire Cairo introduced: Report
Egypt is “angry” that Israel has refused to endorse a ceasefire deal accepted by Hamas, which Cairo initially introduced, according to a report by the Financial Times. Citing an Israeli official familiar with the diplomatic talks between Tel Aviv and Cairo, the FT report said:
The Egyptians are terrified [and they are] angry and exhausted with Israel.
Middle East Eye reported earlier that Egypt and Qatar proposed the ceasefire that Hamas said it agreed to on Monday, but Israel pressed ahead with its assault on Rafah.
Red Cross chief warns over Rafah closure
The CEO and secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies across the world warned that closing the Rafah crossing would hamper the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza. Jagan Chapagian tweeted:
I am deeply concerned by the escalation of hostilities in Rafah, putting many lives at risk.
He also called on Israel to allow the Palestinian Red Crescent to operate freely across Gaza. The group has been targeted in air strikes and its movement has been severely curtailed, according to aid workers.
Hamas says Israel will not face a ‘picnic’ in Rafah
A senior Hamas official warned that the group will not agree to a ceasefire if Israel continues its offensive on Rafah, saying the Israeli military will not face “a picnic” there. Osama Hamdan said at a press conference in Beirut:
We affirm that the military operation in Rafah, if carried out by Israel, will not be a picnic for the Israeli army. We will not accept Israel or another organisation controlling the Rafah border crossing. It was and will remain a purely Egyptian-Palestinian crossing.
Fire breaks out at Rafah municipal building after Israeli shelling
Israeli artillery bombed a municipal building in Rafah, which broke out into fire on Tuesday, according to Arabic media reports. Meanwhile, Israel continued pummeling Rafah, targeting a home where displaced Palestinians were sheltering on Tuesday.
White House says Kerem Shalom to open Wednesday, Rafah fuel deliveries to restart
Israel will reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday, White House said. The White House added that fuel deliveries through Rafah should also commence Wednesday. A White House spokesperson reiterated that the US wants to see Kerem Shalom and the Rafah border crossing opened as soon as possible.
US threatens to withhold arms sales if Israel deepens Rafah offensive: Report
US officials have threatened to withhold arms transfers to Israel if it deepens its offensive on Rafah, according to Haaretz. More details are also coming in about Israel’s efforts to give a private US firm control over the Rafah crossing. The report says that Israel is pressing for a US security firm to take over management of the Rafah border crossing in the belief that it will address US and Egyptian concerns about the operation. The firm would take over the duties formally done by Palestinian border officials.
Egypt complains about Israeli flags at Rafah: Report
Egypt lodged a complaint to Israel over Israeli troops flying their flag over the Rafah crossing, Haaretz reported. The complaint underscored the Egyptians’ concerns that Israel’s seizure of the crossing made it difficult to “downplay” the Israeli attack with their public, according to the report.
Indian state-owned arms manufacturer looks to renew export permit for Israel
India’s government-owned Munitions India Ltd was permitted to export armaments to Israel until Jan 2024 and has applied for another export licence amid the war in Gaza. Middle East Eye reported in February that the Israeli army was set to include Indian-made Hermes 900 drones in its expanding fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles, in a move human rights activists and defence analysts said implicated India in Israel’s war on Gaza. The Munitions India Ltd shipments are separate. The firm specialises in the production of small, medium and high-calibre ammunition, mortars, rockets, and hand grenades. Read more: Indian-made Israeli ‘killer’ drones set to make their way to Gaza.
Israel plans to transfer control of Rafah crossing to private US security firm: Report
Israel plans to transfer control of the Rafah border crossing to a private US security firm, according to a report by Haaretz. According to the report, Israel is negotiating with an unnamed company, which deploys former elite US soldiers to strategic cities in Africa and the Middle East. The expectation is that the Israeli and the US governments can help the firm if needed.
US rapper Macklemore releases pro-Palestine track
Social media users have heaped praise on Grammy Award-winning rapper Macklemore after his latest song took aim at Biden and the American political establishment over their unwavering support for Israel, Middle East Eye reports. The US rapper said in “Hind’s Hall,” a track released late on Monday:
The blood is on your hands, Biden, we can see it all.
The title, Hind’s Hall, is a reference to Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, which pro-Palestine protesters had occupied and renamed after Hind Rajab, a five-year-old child who was killed by Israel in January.
The problem isn’t the protests
it’s what they’re protestin’
It goes against what our country is fundin’.
Read More: US rapper Macklemore releases pro-Palestine track slamming Biden and lauding protesters.
Kirby says Hamas and Israel can ‘close gaps’ in Cairo talks
US NSC spox Adm (Retd) John Kirby said Hamas and Israel should be able to close the remaining gaps in a ceasefire deal. He confirmed talks brokered by Egypt and Qatar had resumed in Cairo. He added that Israel told the US its seizure of the Rafah crossing was designed to prevent Hamas from smuggling funds and weapons into Gaza, and that the US was working to resume aid shipments
Israel pummels Rafah with air strikes
Israel is pummeling Rafah, with Palestinian media reporting blasts in the al-Geneina neighbourhood, east of Rafah. Videos posted on social media showed large smoke clouds billowing from apartment blocs. Israel also launched strikes on al-Salam Mill in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian media reported.
Twelve Rockets fired from Gaza toward Israeli communities, Israel says
Israel says 12 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israeli communities near the besieged enclave. The Israeli military said five rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. The other seven landed in open areas with no casualties reported.
Biden administration stalling arms shipment to Israel over Gaza: Report
The US is stalling the shipment of two types of Boeing-made precision bombs to Israel to send a message off its disapproval of Israel’s offensive on Gaza, Politico reported. The Biden administration notified the top Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the Senate and House foreign affairs committees in January of the sale, but has not followed up with an official notification to Congress, the WSJ reported earlier. Politico reported that the stalling was meant to send a message to Israel’s government. The report was published Tuesday, the day after Israel attacked Rafah.The sale includes $260m worth of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and bombs. JDAMs allow bombs to be guided to their targets.
Germany condemns major Rafah offensive, calls on Israel to open border crossing
Germany has warned against a “major offensive” in Rafah and called for aid corridors to reopen “immediately.” German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Israel couldn’t attack the southern Gaza border town and expect “a million people” to “simply vanish into thin air,” referring to the roughly 1.5 million Palestinians sheltering there. She said:
They need protection. They urgently need further humanitarian aid. To achieve this, the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings must be reopened immediately.
Israel’s seizure of Rafah crossing chokes Gaza of crucial aid: UN agencies
Israel’s capture of the Rafah border crossing means Gaza is “choked off” of aid, UN agencies say. UN OCHA spox Jens Laerke said Israel has closed both the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israeli proper and the Rafah crossing from Egypt. Laerke said:
The two main arteries for getting aid into Gaza are currently choked off. We had very low stocks inside the Gaza Strip. Theere’s just a one-day buffer of fuel supplies.“If no fuel comes in for a prolonged period of time it would be a very effective way of putting the humanitarian operation in its grave.
The World Food Programme echoed those dire warnings. James Elder, a spokesperson for the United Nations children’s agency said:
Erez will simply not be enough. If Rafah gate closes for an extended period, it’s hard to see how famine in Gaza can be averted.
Erez is a northern border crossing where aid is trickling in.
Hamas ceasefire proposal intended to sabotage Rafah offensive, Netanyahu says
Hamas’s ceasefire proposal on Monday was intended to “sabotage” Israel’s offensive on Rafah, Netanyahu said. “That did not happen,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. He added that the Hamas ceasefire proposal “falls far short of Israel’s essential demands.”
Israeli soldiers shoot at, and detain 8-year-old boy in occupied West Bank
Israeli soldiers opened fire on an 8-year-old Palestinian boy outside Jericho in the occupied West Bank on Monday night and later detained him, according to WAFA. Jude Ashraf Walid Hamidat, was taken to Hadassah Al-Issawiya Hospital by Israeli soldiers after the incident.
Netanyahu says capture of Rafah crossing necessary for return of hostages
Israel’s seizure of the Rafah border crossing is a “significant step” in defeating Hamas and achieving the return of hostages held in Gaza, Netanyahu has said. Netanyahu said taking over the Rafah crossing was “necessary” to obtain the return of Israeli hostages.
MSF says Rafah assault will be ‘disastrous’ for Palestinians
MSF has warned that Israel’s offensive on Rafah will have “disastrous effects” for over a million people sheltering in the southern border town. The group said in a statement:
Living conditions all over Gaza are already extremely precarious, they will just get worse for all these people who are being displaced again and will have to live in makeshift tents with extremely limited access to basic necessities such as water.
The group slammed the “intense” Israeli bombing on Rafah on Monday and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Hostages’ family members stage protest in Tel Aviv
The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza are making a last ditch effort to pressure Netanyahu to reach a deal with Hamas. The family members said outside the Kirya in Tel Aviv:
We heard from officials that what separates us and our loved ones was and remains a commitment to end the war. We say to Netanyahu and the government: end the war, bring them back and save lives.
The families also called on war cabinet ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot not to let Netanyahu torpedo a hostage deal. Gantz said yesterday the Hamas ceasefire proposal didn’t satisfy Israeli demands.
Mid-ranking Israeli team to head to Cairo to assess Hamas position
A team of mid-level Israeli officials will travel to Cairo in the coming hours to assess whether Hamas can be persuaded to shift on its latest ceasefire draft, a senior Israeli official told Reuters. The official also reiterated that the current Hamas proposal was unacceptable to Israel. Referring to the senior Mossad and Shin Bet officials who are leading the Israeli side, the official said:
This delegation is made up of mid-level envoys. Were there a credible deal in the offing, the principals would be heading the delegation.
The Israeli official said Israel’s demonstrated determination to move against Rafah had pushed Hamas into hastily setting out its latest proposal. Earlier, Egypt’s state-aligned Al-Qahera News TV said Cairo was hosting delegations from Qatar, the US, and Hamas in order to reach a comprehensive truce in Gaza.
Did Israel coordinate with Egypt before reoccupying the crossing?
As the Israeli army announced it had seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, questions have been raised about whether Israel has violated key agreements with Egypt and what level of coordination might have taken place with Cairo. It is unclear whether any coordination took place prior to Tuesday’s occupation of the crossing, which essentially gives Israel control of the Philadelphi Corridor, the 14-km long, 100-metre-wide demilitarised buffer zone along the entire border between Gaza and Egypt. An Egyptian military source told Middle East Eye that Egypt has not authorised the Rafah crossing operation. The source said on condition of anonymity:
There is no operational coordination regarding the occupation of Rafah. However, officials from the Egyptian and Israeli military maintain constant contact to ensure the strategic security of both sides. We view the invasion of Rafah crossing as a “serious escalation but not a surprise. This military action jeopardises the entry of aid to one million Palestinians, as the Rafah crossing is the safest and most well-structured route for food and water delivery to Gaza.
Read more: Did Israel coordinate with Egypt before reoccupying the crossing?
Guterres calls on Israel to reopen crossings for aid
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Israel that an assault on Rafah would “be a strategic mistake, a political calamity, and a humanitarian nightmare.” Guterres called on Israel to “stop any escalation” after it sent tanks into Rafah. Guterres told reporters:
I am disturbed and distressed by the renewed military activity in Rafah. The closure of both the Rafah and Karem Shalom crossings is especially damaging to an already dire humanitarian situation. They must be re-opened immediately.
Hamas says Israeli captive wounded in Israeli shelling died
Hamas said an Israeli captive has died of wounds she sustained in an Israeli air strike last month. The group said in a statement that Judy Weinstein, 70, along with another detainee, had not received treatment due to the destruction of hospitals in the Gaza Strip. Hamas also said that Weinstein was seriously wounded on Oct 7 and had received treatment in a hospital in Gaza. She was taken back to detention upon her recovery, the statement said. In December, an Israeli kibbutz said it had learned that Weinstein died on Oct 7 and her body was taken to Gaza, but did not make it clear how Israeli authorities had confirmed her death.
US made its views on Rafah operation clear to Israel, State Department says
The US has made its views clear to Israel on a major ground invasion of Rafah, a State Dept spox said, in Washington’s first response since Israeli forces seized control of Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt. The spox told Reuters:
We continue to believe that a hostage deal is in the best interest of the Israeli and the Palestinian people; it would bring an immediate ceasefire and allow increased humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
Latest ceasefire proposal had minor changes from previous draft
An Egyptian and a Western diplomat told the AP that the ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas only had minor changes in wording from an earlier version approved by Israel. The sources said Hamas was sent the new draft after changes were added in consultation with CIA head William Burns. The White House said Burns was discussing Hamas’s response with Israeli and regional officials.
British students launch Gaza sit-ins at Balfour’s old universities
Students at two universities strongly associated with Lord Arthur Balfour have launched pro-Palestinian encampments on campus to protest Israel’s war on Gaza. The protests at Edinburgh and Cambridge are part of a growing movement on campuses across the world, which involves students setting up protest camps to demand that their institutions break off ties with Israeli institutions, as well as companies involved in supplying arms to the state. At Edinburgh, students wearing Palestinian scarves made their demands clear at the start of their protest at the university’s Old College. In one video taken on Monday and provided to Middle East Eye by activists, a student with a loudspeaker is seen addressing fellow protesters. The speaker says:
We demand that the University of Edinburgh divest entirely from companies tied to Israel and complicit in the globally acknowledged genocide of the Palestinian people.
Read more: British students launch Gaza sit-ins at Balfour’s old universities.
Text of the Gaza ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas
Hamas on Monday accepted a US-mediated ceasefire proposal that would see Israel halt its devastating seven-month war on Gaza and the phased release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The proposal, seen by Middle East Eye, is made up of three six-week stages that lead to a permanent ceasefire, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the ending of the siege. It also includes the release of all Israeli captives held in Gaza in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners to be agreed upon at a later stage. Read more: Text of the Gaza ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas.
Palestinian Authority calls on US to ‘immediately intervene’ to prevent Israeli attack on Rafah city
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, called on the US to prevent an Israeli attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah following Israel’s capture of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing. He said:
The Rafah land crossing and the rest of the territory of the Gaza Strip are occupied Palestinian land in accordance with international legal resolutions. However, Israel, supported by America with weapons, money and political cover, insists on continuing to defy international law, because the American veto will protect it.
Hamas says Israeli incursion in Rafah aims to undermine ceasefire efforts
Hamas said in a statement that Israel’s incursion in the Rafah border crossing aimed to undermine ceasefire efforts. The group also accused Israel of aiming to aggravate the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip by cutting off its main aid route.
Israeli forces operate in Rafah border crossing
After capturing the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing, Israeli forces released footage and images showing their operations and takeover of the only crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
Egypt condemns Israel’s operations in Rafah, seizure of border crossing
Egypt’s foreign ministry condemned Israel’s operations in Gaza’s Rafah city as well as its seizure of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing. According to Reuters, the foreign ministry also warned that the Rafah offensive threatens ceasefire efforts.
Gaza has a one-day buffer of fuel supplies: UN
A UN spokesperson said that Gaza only has a one day buffer of fuel supplies, and that Israel denying fuel into Gaza for a prolonged period would put the aid operation “in its grave.”
Hamas says it fired rockets at Israeli troops ‘east of Rafah crossing,’ sirens in Kerem Shalom
Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said they fired rockets at a “gathering of enemy forces” east of the Rafah crossing. The Israeli army said four mortars were fired at Kerem Shalom, causing sirens to go off, but no damage was reported.
UN says Israel denying it access to Rafah crossing, Gaza ‘choked off’
A UN spokesperson said that Israeli authorities refused the organisation’s request to get into the Rafah crossing area, Reuters reports. The spokesperson added that the two main arteries for getting aid into Gaza are currently “choked off.”
China calls on Israel to ‘stop attacking Rafah’
China is urging Israel to heed calls from the international community and stop its attacks on Rafah. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said:
China strongly calls on Israel to heed the overwhelming demands of the international community, stop attacking Rafah, and do everything it can to avoid a more serious humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip.
Gaza death toll rises to 34,789
Gaza’s health ministry said that 54 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on the enclave in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 34,789 people killed since Oct 7. Additionally, 78,204 have been wounded since the start of the war.
Israeli military vehicles drive along Gaza-Egypt border with big Israeli flags
Israeli army vehicles were seen driving along the Gaza-Egypt in the eastern part of Rafah this morning, waving a huge Israeli flag and the flag of the 401st Armored Brigade, the unit that captured the Rafah border crossing.
Dutch police end pro-Palestine campus protest in Amsterdam, arrest over 100 people
Dutch riot police ended a pro-Palestine protest at the University of Amsterdam early on Tuesday, arresting some 125 people in what authorities say were sometimes violent clashes. Police say protesters used violence against them at the site, and that the dismantling of the protest was “necessary to restore order. We see the footage on social media. We understand that those images may appear as intense.” Local media reported that protesters shot fireworks at police officers, but no injuries were reported on either side as of yet. “All is now quiet. Police stay in the vicinity of the Roeterseiland campus,” the police added.
Israeli army: Kerem Shalom crossing closed due to ‘security conditions’
The Israeli army said that the Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza is closed, and will only reopen “when the security conditions allow it.” The Rafah crossing, Gaza, only border crossing with Egypt, was also closed after the Israeli army said it captured it.
Israeli army says it captured Palestinian side of Rafah crossing, raises Israeli flag
The Israeli military said its 401st Armored Brigade captured the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing, Gaza’s only crossing with Egypt. The Salah ed-Din road in eastern Rafah, usually connected to the crossing, was also taken by another army brigade. The Israeli flag was raised at the crossing, while the Palestinian one was left on the floor. Gaza’s General Authority for Crossings and Borders said that passenger entry, as well as aid deliveries have been halted due to the Israeli army’s storming of the area.
Morning update
Here are the latest updates:
- Israeli forces have stormed the Rafah border crossing, shutting down the only crossing between Gaza and Egypt and causing a halt in aid deliveries and civilian movement
- At least 12 Palestinians have been killed in overnight Israeli attacks on Rafah, while several others were killed in strikes on northern Gaza
- The Israeli army said that two soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah drone attack near Metula, northern Israel on Monday
- The UNGA is set to vote on a draft resolution that would recognise Palestine as qualified for full UN membership this week. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said that the US should “completely stop funding the UN and its institutions” should this resolution be passed.
Israeli forces storm Rafah crossing
Al Jazeera reports that Israeli forces have stormed the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza. Palestinian journalists report that all aid deliveries have been stopped and no one in Gaza is able to travel any more, as the crossing was the only travel point between Egypt and Gaza. A video shared online shows an Israeli tank reach the Rafah crossing.
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