Masses of Israelis demand an end to war on Gaza – Day 556

Masses of Israelis demand an end to war on Gaza – Day 556

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 39 more Palestinians in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Monday. 

A Palestinian man was also killed in the West Bank (more below).

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. 

In Yemen, at least seven people were killed and nearly 30 others wounded in a fresh wave of US air strikes near Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, according to the Houthis, who made the announcement on Monday.

Since March 15, the United States has carried out hundreds of airstrikes across Yemen, resulting in the deaths of 123 civilians and injuring at least 247 others, mostly women and children, according to casualty figures released by Ansarallah on Monday.


Hamas rejects truce proposal that calls on Palestinian groups to ‘surrender’

Hamas has rejected a ceasefire proposal that would see all armed groups in Gaza “surrender” to Israel, with the Palestinian movement accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging efforts to broker a truce and end the 18-month war.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Al Jazeera Arabic on Monday that the group was “open to all offers that alleviate the suffering of our people”, but the latest draft Israeli proposal was demanding Palestinians agree to a “surrender.”

“Netanyahu is setting impossible conditions to sabotage the ceasefire agreement,” Abu Zuhri said.

“In its latest proposal, the occupation [Israel] does not commit to a full cessation of war – it only wants to receive the captives. We are ready to release all the living and dead captives at once in exchange for ending the war and withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,” he said.

“Surrender is not an option for the Hamas movement, and we will not accept breaking the will of our people… Hamas will not surrender, will not raise the white flag, and will use all pressure cards against the occupation,” he added (continue reading here).


Israeli army releases 10 Palestinian detainees from Gaza


‘Hamas not defeated, reserves forces overstretched’: Israeli army chief

Israel’s new Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, has warned the government that the military lacks the manpower and resources to fulfill its expansive goals in Gaza without a political strategy to accompany military operations, Ynet reported on 14 April.

According to security sources speaking with the Israeli newspaper, Zamir warned that the achievements of the soldiers in Gaza have been eroded because the government has refused to promote a political move that includes replacing Hamas, which remains in control of the Gaza Strip even a year and a half after the outbreak of the war.

The security sources stated that Zamir aims to militarily defeat Hamas in a major ground operation. However, a full and renewed occupation of the Gaza Strip will take, according to military estimates, many months, and possibly even years, and will require the redeployment of tens of thousands of fighters – many of whom are in the reserves.

The security sources stated that only 60 to 70 percent of reservists being called up are actually reporting for duty, and there are fears that these numbers will not increase if a full offensive on Gaza is ordered.

The sources stated the military also lacks sufficient numbers of tanks and armored personnel carriers to carry out a full invasion of Gaza, and is concerned about its current ammunition stockpile, especially if an attack on Iran is ordered or the war with Hezbollah in the north is renewed.


Over 13,000 Israeli military personnel, civilians sign petitions to halt war, release hostages held in Gaza

Pressure is mounting on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end his brutal war on the Gaza Strip as thousands of military personnel and civilians, including doctors, academics, and intelligence veterans, have signed urgent petitions demanding the government prioritize the release of Israelis held in the Palestinian enclave, even if it means ending the war in the enclave.

Signatories included approximately 3,500 academics, over 3,000 teachers, 1,000 parents, nearly 3,000 Israeli medical professionals, alongside three Nobel laureates, and about 150 former Israeli soldiers from the elite the Golani Brigade, as well as 350 Israeli authors, poets, and literary professionals.

Additionally, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz added their names to a petition signed by 1,525 Armored Corps soldiers; more than 1,600 veterans from the Paratroopers and Infantry Brigades, and about 170 graduates of the elite “Talpiot” military intelligence program signed petitions.

Among the messages were, “the war primarily serves political and personal interests. Its continuation will lead to the deaths of hostages, soldiers, and innocent civilians and will drain the reserve forces“; “as shown in the past, only a negotiated agreement can ensure the safe return of the abducted to Israel”; and “We reject the dangerous idea that there are no innocents in Gaza. We refuse to abandon the hostages or dehumanize others.” Another accusing Netanyahu of sabotaging an agreed ceasefire, “fearing the war’s end would mean the end of his rule and his freedom as a criminal defendant.”


Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque to mark Passover

Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers forced their way on Monday into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to mark the second day of the Jewish Passover holiday.

In a statement, the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said 765 illegal settlers entered the flashpoint site in groups under the protection of Israeli police through the Al-Mugharbah Gate area, west of the holy mosque.

The agency said that nearly 500 illegal settlers stormed the mosque on the first day of Passover on Sunday.

Fanatic Jewish settlers, under the protection of Israeli forces, raid the Old City of East Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque on August 13, 2024
Fanatic Jewish settlers, under the protection of Israeli forces, raid the Old City of East Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque on August 13, 2024 (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency)

Malek Ali al-Hattab
Malek Ali al-Hattab (IMEMC)

Palestinian Youth Succumbs to Injuries Near Ramallah

A Palestinian young man succumbed to gunshot wounds he sustained before dawn when Israeli forces invaded the Al-Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah, in the central occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that Malek Ali al-Hattab, 19, succumbed, on Monday evening, to the injuries he suffered after occupation soldiers shot him in the abdomen with live ammunition, just hours earlier.

Before dawn on Monday, the army stormed the Al-Jalazone refugee camp and opened fire with live ammunition towards Palestinian youths who protested the incursion, shooting three young men.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance crews transported three wounded young men, including Al-Hattab, to the hospital for treatment, where he died.


Israeli army forces raid West Bank hospital, detain Palestinian

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