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Israel was reopening the Kerem Shalom crossing on its border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, reports the Reuters news agency citing a statement from the Israeli agency in charge of it said.
According to the statement, aid trucks routed through from Egypt were already undergoing security inspections there.
Continue reading...The school’s student paper reported arrests as hundreds of Washington DC police dismantled the impromptu tent village
Hundreds of Washington DC police, some deploying pepper spray, cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment at George Washington University early on Wednesday, in the latest clash between law enforcement and protesting students to sweep the US.
The GW Hatchet student paper reported that at least a dozen people had been arrested as the impromptu tent village was dismantled in University Yard. The Metropolitan police department said the arrests had been made for “assault of a police officer” and “unlawful entry”.
Continue reading...In today’s newsletter: As an assault on a key route for aid is underway, we look at how the humanitarian crisis will unfold and the prospects for a ceasefire
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Good morning. Israel has threatened to expand its military operation in Rafah after it seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing – which was the key remaining land route to get desperately needed aid into Gaza, where millions of people are suffering an escalating humanitarian crisis.
The Israeli military said it had taken “operational control” of the border with Egypt in a “precise and limited operation”, but gave notice that it will soon be followed by an “extreme force” ground offensive that the UN warns could lead to the “slaughter of civilians”. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has begun dropping flyers on relief camps in Rafah, ordering Palestinians – many of whom have already fled the conflict, sometimes several times – to immediately evacuate.
Israel-Gaza war | Joe Biden’s administration paused a shipment of weapons to Israel last week in opposition to apparent moves by the Israelis to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior administration official has said. Israel has launched a major military offensive against Hamas forces in Gaza’s southernmost city, seizing control of a key border crossing and cutting off most aid a day before indirect talks on a ceasefire deal are due to restart.
US | Donald Trump’s criminal trial entered a new stage on Tuesday with testimony from Stormy Daniels, an adult film star at the center of his hush-money scandal. Daniels told jurors that she had a sexual liaison with Trump in 2006 that left her nervous and ashamed.
Scotland | The new Scottish National party leader John Swinney will become Scotland’s seventh first minister after winning the backing of MSPs. Swinney won the vote eight days after Humza Yousaf announced his departure.
Health | The Cass review “absolutely” did not set an unfairly high bar for evidence, its author has said, as she addressed “significant misinformation” about her assessment of healthcare provision for gender-questioning young people in England and Wales.
Garrick Club | The men-only Garrick Club in London has finally voted to allow women to become members, 193 years after it first opened its doors. 562 members (59.98%) voted in favour and 375 (40.02%) against, in a private meeting where several hundred members spent two hours debating whether to permit women to join.
Continue reading...Students set up encampments at universities across continent as they call for ceasefire in Israel-Gaza war
Student protests demanding that universities sever ties with Israel over the Gaza war have spread across Europe, sparking clashes and arrests as new demonstrations broke out in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria.
Students at various European universities, inspired by ongoing demonstrations at US campuses, have been occupying halls and facilities, demanding an end to partnerships with Israeli institutions because of Israel’s assault on Gaza.
Continue reading...With fuel dwindling for aid trucks and main entry points to south of Gaza closed, residents wonder how they will survive
Aid agencies in Gaza have less than a day’s fuel for trucks and tankers that deliver vital food, medicine, water and diesel to millions across the territory, threatening an almost complete shutdown of operations including bakeries and hospitals, officials have warned.
All main entry points to the south of Gaza are closed and there has been widespread looting of existing stocks in Rafah after aid agencies were forced to leave warehouses unguarded following warnings to evacuate the area from Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) ahead of the military offensive launched on the city on Tuesday morning.
Continue reading...Israel says it is beginning mission to ‘take out’ Hamas brigades in city, as aid officials say flow of supplies through crossing has halted
Israeli military forces have taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Israeli officials have said, in the first stage of what appears to be a wider offensive targeting Hamas in the southernmost parts of Gaza.
“This is the beginning of our mission to take out the last four Hamas brigades in Rafah. You should be in no doubt about that whatsoever,” an Israeli government spokesperson said.
Continue reading...Beijing joins France in urging Israel against Rafah offensive in latest effort to make its diplomatic mark
Xi Jinping, sensing a diplomatic opening, is stepping up China’s intervention in the Middle East crisis, issuing a joint statement with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to urge Israel not to go ahead with an offensive in Rafah.
The rare moment of Sino-European synergy is the latest effort by China to make its diplomatic mark in a region in which it has deep economic interests, but more shallow diplomatic moorings.
Continue reading...IDF sent tanks into city in southern Gaza on Tuesday as it said terms of ceasefire deal were undecided
On Monday, thousands left eastern neighbourhoods of Rafah in southern Gaza after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) told people to move to a “humanitarian zone” north-west of the city to avoid being harmed in an imminent attack. Then Hamas, after a week of stalling, accepted terms for a ceasefire put forward by mediators. Hours later, Israel said it would participate in a new round of ceasefire talks but that the conditions of a deal were still far from decided. Finally, after airstrikes overnight, the IDF sent a column of tanks and other armoured vehicles to seize the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Tuesday.
Continue reading...Protesters march towards Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem with banner saying: ‘The blood is on your hands’
Thousands of Israelis around the country have joined rallies calling for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to the terms of a ceasefire deal that Hamas accepted on Monday.
Protesters gathered near the defence headquarters in Tel Aviv, while in Jerusalem at least 100 protesters marched towards Netanyahu’s residence with a banner saying: “The blood is on your hands.”
Continue reading...Benjamin Netanyahu faces chorus of diplomatic pressure not to go ahead with full-scale offensive on Rafah
Israel is coming under huge diplomatic pressure to accept a three-stage ceasefire surprisingly agreed by Hamas, despite the apparent determination of its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to continue with a planned offensive in Rafah.
Netanyahu’s office said that the proposal Hamas accepted was “far from Israel’s essential demands” but that it would nonetheless send negotiators to continue talks on a deal.
At the same time, the Israeli military said it was conducting “targeted strikes” against Hamas in eastern Rafah.
Palestinians in Gaza thrown into confusion by Hamas’s acceptance of a deal, followed by Israel’s sceptical response and bomb attacks
Rafah’s fate hung in the balance on Monday after Hamas said it had accepted a ceasefire-for-hostage deal but Israel responded sceptically and said it would press on with its campaign on Gaza’s southernmost city, carrying out night airstrikes.
The more than 1 million Palestinians taking refuge in Rafah were thrown into confusion by the day’s events. Israel issued orders for the evacuation of part of the city earlier on Monday, triggering an exodus of thousands of people.
Continue reading...Overnight Israeli strikes increase numbers leaving southern city for ‘humanitarian zone’ on coast
Thousands of people have fled Rafah amid deep international concern that an Israeli military attack on Gaza’s southernmost city is imminent and a new, bloody phase in the conflict is beginning.
International leaders have scrambled to dissuade Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, from ordering a full-scale assault on the city, which aid agencies say would cause a new humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and lead to many civilian deaths.
Continue reading...Unrwa says offensive will cause more ‘civilian suffering and deaths.’ Plus, death toll climbs in Brazil floods
Good morning.
Israel’s military sparked fears for an upcoming ground invasion after issuing calls for residents and displaced people to evacuate Rafah’s eastern neighbourhoods and head to an “expanded humanitarian zone” in southern Gaza.
News from the border into Gaza: One of the main crossings used to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza was closed after a rocket attack claimed by Hamas killed three soldiers, the Israeli military said, with a reprisal strike on a house in Rafah killing multiple Palestinians.
News from inside Israel: Israeli authorities shut down the local offices of Al Jazeera, which critics calls a “dark day for the media”. The network, funded by Qatar, has accused Israel, which it denies, of deliberately killing its journalists for their coverage of the war.
The war’s humanitarian cost: After the Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostage, the Israeli assault on Gaza has killed about 35,000, destroyed much of the coastal strip’s infrastructure and housing stock, and is causing a “full-blown famine,” according to the director of the UN World Food Program.
Just how bad is the flooding? The flooding across the state has surpassed that seen during a deluge in 1941, according to the Brazilian Geological Service. In some cities, water levels were at their highest since record-keeping began almost 150 years ago, the agency added. In some areas as much as 15cm (6in) of rain fell in 24 hours.
Is global heating a factor? The state of Rio Grande do Sul sits at a geographical meeting point between tropical and polar atmospheres, giving rise to a weather pattern that includes periods of intense rain and drought. Local scientists say the pattern has been intensifying as a result of the human-made climate crisis.
Continue reading...Prof Ghassan Abu-Sitta says Schengen-wide ban imposed by Germany appears to be attempt to silence witness testimony
A London surgeon who provided testimony on Israel’s war in Gaza after operating during the conflict has said he feels criminalised after being denied entry to France over the weekend.
Prof Ghassan Abu-Sitta, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon was due to speak about the war to the French parliament’s upper house on Saturday. However, after arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport north of Paris on a morning flight from London, he was informed by French authorities that Germany had enforced a Schengen-wide ban on his entry to Europe.
Continue reading...Netanyahu refuses demands of permanent ceasefire and also moves to shut down Al Jazeera network
Senior Israeli officials ramped up pressure on Hamas on Sunday, saying Israel would refuse any permanent end to hostilities and threatening a new onslaught “in the very near future” if the militant organisation did not accept recently proposed terms for a ceasefire.
In a televised address, Benjamin Netanyahu once more rejected Hamas’s demands for a definitive end to the war in Gaza, saying that any permanent ceasefire would allow the group to remain in power and pose a continuing threat to Israel.
Continue reading...Netanyahu cabinet votes to shut down TV network’s operations in Israel; Yoav Gallant says Hamas appear to not be serious about reaching a truce. This live blog is closed
A local official in southern Lebanon said an Israeli strike on a village on Sunday killed a couple and their child, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
“The dad, the mother and their little son were martyred”, according to the Mays al-Jabal municipality chief Abdelmoneim Chukair.
Continue reading...Pro-Palestine protesters hope encampments at universities will contribute to an ‘international student revolt’
Students across Britain have said they hope pro-Palestine protests will reach the same scale as those seen on US campuses as they call for universities to divest from companies supplying arms to Israel.
Protests have spread across university campuses in Sheffield, Bristol and Leeds, after a crackdown in the US on protests, which led to mass arrests of students and staff.
Continue reading...Word of the demonstrations that have spread across the west has cheered some in Gaza’s southernmost city
In the tented camps and crowded streets of Rafah, the pro-Palestinian campus protests in the US have been followed closely.
“We hear a lot of news about students’ demonstrations in American universities … When I saw that, I was very happy that there are still those who stand beside us and in support of us,” said Nevin Abu Shahma, 39, who fled to Rafah from northern Gaza early in the war.
Continue reading...Hamas confirms four of five people killed during raid in village of Deir al-Ghusun were from its armed wing
Israeli forces killed five Palestinians in an overnight raid in a village near the city of Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry and the Israeli military said on Saturday.
Hamas confirmed that four of the men killed during the raid in Deir al-Ghusun village were from its al-Qassam armed wing. The Palestinian health ministry said their bodies had been taken by the Israeli military.
Continue reading...Egyptian and US mediators report signs of compromise, but many analysts remain pessimistic
Hopes of a ceasefire in Gaza rose on Saturday as a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo to continue indirect talks, with what is believed to be a response to a new proposal, reportedly agreed by Israel, to halt fighting for an initial 40 days and exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Egyptian and US mediators have reported signs of compromise in recent days and Egyptian state news channel Al-Qahera said on Saturday that a consensus had been reached in the indirect talks over many of the disputed points but gave no further details.
Continue reading...