“Instead of establishing and approving more farms and expanding Jewish settlements, we surrender to the enemy,” the extremist minister said.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Israeli media reported.
His call came after the army seized equipment brought by illegal settlers in the past two days to establish a settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank, where a settler was killed last week.
“Defense Minister Gallant’s decision to evacuate and destroy buildings on the Gal Yosef farm where 14-year old Benjamin Achimeir was murdered…represents terrible obtuseness, moral confusion, security folly, and a violation of the dignity of the dead,” Ben-Gvir said on X.
Two Palestinians were killed and scores were injured, while a large number of homes and vehicles were set ablaze during the violent attacks launched soon after the announcement of a settler’s disappearance north of Ramallah.
Achimeir was later found dead near the village of Duma, south of Nablus. Israeli forces said that he had been “murdered in a terrorist attack,” without providing any evidence and before any investigation was carried out.
“Instead of establishing and approving more farms and expanding Jewish settlements, we surrender to the enemy,” the extremist minister said.
“The time has come for the prime minister to consider replacing Minister Gallant.”
Ben-Gvir’s remarks came following Gallant’s statements on Saturday, urging for restraint amid the Jewish settler rampage.
“I appeal to the public, let the security forces act quickly in the hunt for the terrorists,” he wrote on X.
“Acts of revenge will make it difficult for our soldiers in their mission. The law must not be taken into one’s own hands,” he added.
On Friday, at least 1,500 settlers, accompanied by Israeli forces, stormed the town of Al-Mughayir, northeast of Ramallah, the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, reported.
Jihad Abu Aliya, 25, was shot and killed by live ammunition fired at his home.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that the settlers opened fire on one of its ambulances on the way to reach the wounded in the town.
The PRCS also said it dealt with at least 18 cases of injuries, one of them critical. Eight of those injuries were due to live ammunition fired on the residents.
Around 40 Palestinian homes and vehicles were set alight.
On Saturday mobs of settlers continued their rampage across the West Bank.
The Ministry of Health confirmed the killing of 17-year-old Omar Ahmed Hamed due to critical injuries sustained during an attack by settlers on the village of Beitin, northeast of Ramallah, reported WAFA.
At times accompanied by Israeli forces, armed settlers attacked several other villages including Abu Falah, Duma, al-Sawiyeh and Huwara.
The PRCS said Israeli forces attacked an ambulance on Saturday and smashed the vehicle’s windows in the town of Duma, in the Nablus district.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 463 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers’ gunfire in the occupied West Bank since October 7.
Israeli media confirmed that four soldiers were injured, one of them seriously, in an explosion in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese Resistance Movement Hezbollah announced on Monday that it ambushed a force from the elite Israeli Golani Brigade, which crossed into Lebanese territory from northern Israel.
In a statement, Hezbollah confirmed that the ambush resulted in the killing and wounding of Israeli soldiers.
“After closely monitoring and anticipating the movements of enemy forces, fighters from the Islamic Resistance planted a number of explosive devices in the area of Tal Ismail,” the statement read.
Unusual incident on the border, Hezbollah detonates a planted bomb in an Israeli force from the Golani brigade as they tried to cross the border. Initial reports of 4 wounded, 1 in critical condition. pic.twitter.com/3kQgkvbTOv
“When a force belonging to the Golani Brigade crossed the border and reached the location of the devices, they were detonated, resulting in deaths and injuries among their ranks,” it added.
The operation, according to Hezbollah, was “in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and their brave and honorable Resistance.”
Israeli media confirmed that four soldiers were injured, one of them seriously, in an explosion in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the troops were wounded “in an explosion of unknown origin that occurred during an activity in southern Lebanon.”
“The condition of one of them is serious, the condition of two is moderate and the other is slightly wounded, according to the army,” Haaretz further reported, noting that the soldiers belong to the Golani and Yalam Brigades.
According to the paper, the wounded soldiers “were evacuated by helicopter to the hospital” and the Israeli military is “investigating the incident.”
Hezbollah says killed, injured several Israeli forces near Lebanon's southern border. pic.twitter.com/G5V399hm8K
This comes amid rising tensions following Iran’s attack on Saturday in retaliation for a deadly strike on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus.
Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, on October 7, the Lebanese movement Hezbollah has engaged directly, but relatively in a limited way in the war against the Israeli occupation.
According to Hezbollah sources, the movement has carried out 169 military operations in the first 120 days of war, killing over 2,000 Israeli soldiers.
Israel has occupied parts of Lebanon for decades and has only left the country in 2000, following stiff Lebanese resistance under Hezbollah’s leadership.
His death follows a weekend of attacks by hordes of illegal Jewish settlers in various towns across the West Bank.
A Palestinian youth has been killed and three others injured, one of them critically, during an Israeli military incursion into the town of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
His death follows a weekend of clashes and attacks by hordes of illegal Jewish settlers in various towns across the territory.
According to the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, sources at the Rafidia Hospital said a young man was killed as a result of being shot in the chest by Israeli forces.
Another civilian sustained critical gunshot wounds to the chest, abdomen and foot, and a third was injured in the foot.
The deceased has been identified as Yazan Shtayyeh, 17, from the village of Salem in Nablus.
Soldiers also broke into a residential building and raided one of the apartments, before detaining a Palestinian youth.
Clashes also broke out in the town, with Israeli forces attacking residents with live ammunition and tear gas canisters, reported WAFA.
Ambulances Attacked
At least five Palestinians were wounded by live ammunition during clashes with Israeli forces and Jewish settlers near the Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah, on Sunday night.
WAFA cited the Ministry of Health as saying that the five were shot and injured after attempting to fend off an attack by the settlers on one of the homes at the entrance to the refugee camp.
The attack was carried out under the full protection of Israeli soldiers, the report said.
Settlers, backed by the army, also gathered at a crossroad near the village of Taybeh, northeast of Ramallah and blocked residents’ movement in and out of the town.
The latest incidents follow a weekend of various attacks by settlers, at times under the watch of Israeli forces, on numerous West Bank towns including Al-Mughayyir, Abu Falah, Duma, al-Sawiyeh and Huwara.
Homes, Vehicles Torched
Two Palestinian youths were killed in the attacks, and scores of homes and vehicles were set alight.
Ambulances were also attacked by the settlers, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
On Sunday night settlers from the Shakeed settlement attacked Palestinian citizens’ vehicles north of the town of Ya’bad in Jenin, reported WAFA.
Israeli soldiers also stormed Ya’bad. No detentions were reported.
The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas on Saturday called on the Palestinian Authority and its security forces to protect Palestinian people amid the escalation of settler violence in the West Bank.
In a statement, Hamas said that “the escalation of frenzied attacks carried out by the settler militias (…) are war crimes committed by the Zionist enemy”.
Homes Destroyed
The attacks began after a 14-year-old settler went missing.
Ali Dawabsha, a resident of Duma, told the Palestine Chronicle that, when the body of the missing settler was found, hundreds of settlers stormed the village.
The settlers came down from the mountains surrounding the area and began burning Palestinian homes.
“The scene was heartbreaking. Clouds of smoke rose from our houses and we could not do anything. It was truly a difficult day,” Dawabsha said.
The settlers, however, were still not satisfied. They also opened fire at the villagers with their personal weapons.
Distribution of Firearms
In recent months, the Israeli government has distributed thousands of firearms to Jewish settlers and militias. Last month, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated the fact that his office had approved 100,000 gun licenses since October 7.
More than 463 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers’ gunfire in the occupied West Bank since October 7, according to the Ministry of Health, WAFA reported.
🚨 Israeli occupation forces withdrew from #Nablus after besieging a home and arresting one Palestinian.
At least one Palestinian was killed and another wounded during the Israeli invasion.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 15, 2024
New Illegal Outpost
Meanwhile, settlers have established a new illegal outpost near the al-Auja Spring, north of Jericho, reported WAFA.
Ayman Gharib, an activist with the Popular Resistance Committees in the Jordan Valley, told WAFA that materials and a tent were transported to the new outpost near the Ras al-Auja population center, where settlers earlier this month set fire to four homes belonging to Palestinians in the area.
Gharib pointed out that the settlers in charge of this new outpost had previously carried out many attacks against citizens in the al-Ma’rajat community, in Jericho, WAFA reported.
“Simona, remind me of when Israel condemned even a single strike by the Kiev regime on Russian regions? You don’t know? Nor do I.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has denounced the call by the Israeli ambassador to Moscow to condemn Iran’s attack on Israel.
Ambassador Simona Halperin had earlier told the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that her country expects “our Russian colleagues to condemn the unprecedented Iranian attack on Israeli territory.”
She also reportedly said she hoped that Moscow would counter “Iran’s attempts to destabilize the region.”
In a post on her Telegram channel on Sunday, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, responded: “Simona, remind me of when Israel condemned even a single strike by the Kiev regime on Russian regions? You don’t know? Nor do I.”
Zakharova also cited “regular statements in support of (Ukrainian President Vladimir) Zelensky’s actions on the part of Israeli officials.”
The war between Russia and Ukraine entered its third year two months ago.
‘Dangerous Escalation’
In a statement on Sunday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry expressed “extreme concern at yet another dangerous escalation in the Middle East.”
❗ We express our extreme concern at yet another dangerous escalation in the Middle East.
We call on all parties involved in the conflict to exercise restraint. We expect them to resolve the existing problems through political and diplomatic means.
“We call on all parties involved to exercise restraint. We expect them to resolve the existing problems through political and diplomatic means,” the ministry said.
Tehran on Saturday launched its first direct attack on Israel in history, deploying drones and missiles in response to an Israeli missile strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1.
The attack resulted in the deaths of seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard members, including General Mohammad Reza Zahedi.
‘Political Killings’
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, condemned the consulate attack.
“Any attacks on diplomatic and consular facilities, the inviolability of which is guaranteed by the relevant Vienna Conventions, are categorically unacceptable, as well as political killings,” Lavrov said.
According to Iran’s official news agency IRNA half of the missiles aimed at Israel hit their targets.
In a call on Saturday, US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington will not support any Israeli response to Iran, the news website Axios reported.
This decision comes amid heightened concerns that “an Israeli response to Iran’s attack on Israel would lead to a regional war with catastrophic consequences,” Axios said, citing US officials.
Two Palestinians were killed this weekend after hordes of armed settlers attacked multiple villages in the West Bank, opening fire on its residents and setting properties alight.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against illegal Jewish settlers who are committing crimes in the West Bank and also called for international intervention to compel Israel to halt settlement expansion.
Two Palestinians were killed this weekend after hordes of armed settlers attacked multiple villages in the West Bank, opening fire on its residents and setting properties alight.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the Palestinian ministry in a statement urged the court to swiftly issue arrest warrants for extremist settlers and their backers who commit crimes against Palestinians.
The ministry also called on the international community to urgently intervene to force Israel “to cease all settlement activities, dismantle armed settler organizations and militias, withdraw weapons, halt funding and punish those providing support and protection,’ the report said.’
The statement also reportedly called for “imposing binding international sanctions on the entire colonial settlement system, deeming it illegal and illegitimate.”
On Friday, at least 1,500 settlers, accompanied by Israeli forces, stormed the town of Al-Mughayir, northeast of Ramallah, the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, reported.
Jihad Abu Aliya, 25, was shot and killed by live ammunition fired at his home.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that the settlers opened fire on one of its ambulances on the way to reach the wounded in the town.
The PRCS also said it dealt with at least 18 cases of injuries, one of them critical. Eight of those injuries were due to live ammunition fired on the residents.
Around 40 Palestinian homes and vehicles were set alight.
Jewish settlers reportedly claimed to be searching for a 14-year-old Jewish boy who went missing on Friday morning. His body was later discovered, according to reports.
On Saturday mobs of settlers continued their rampage across the West Bank.
The Ministry of Health confirmed the killing of 17-year-old Omar Ahmed Hamed due to critical injuries sustained during an attack by settlers on the village of Beitin, northeast of Ramallah, reported WAFA.
At times accompanied by Israeli forces, armed settlers attacked several other villages including Abu Falah, Duma, al-Sawiyeh and Huwara.
The PRCS said Israeli forces attacked an ambulance on Saturday and smashed the vehicle’s windows in the town of Duma, in the Nablus district.
Ali Dawabsha, a resident of Duma, told the Palestine Chronicle that when the body of the missing settler was found, hundreds of settlers stormed the village.
The settlers came down from the mountains surrounding the area and began burning Palestinian homes.
“The scene was heartbreaking. Clouds of smoke rose from our houses and we could not do anything. It was truly a difficult day,” Dawabsha said.
On Sunday morning, Israeli occupation forces blocked the entrances to the village of Al-Mughayir, northeast of Ramallah, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.
Settlers also attacked shepherds in the Khalila area near the village on Sunday, pelting them with stones.
The main entrances to the towns of Turmus Aya and Sinjil, located northeast of Ramallah were also closed off by Israeli forces.
The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas on Saturday called on the Palestinian Authority and its security forces to protect Palestinian people amid the escalation of settler violence in the West Bank.
In a statement, Hamas said that “the escalation of frenzied attacks carried out by the settler militias (…) are war crimes committed by the Zionist enemy”.
The statement also called on the PA and its security forces to “practice their role entrusted to them, to protect our people suffering under the weight of daily raids and invasions, operations of killing and arrests, and daily crimes of the settlers”.
In recent months, the Israeli government has distributed thousands of firearms to Jewish settlers and militias. Last month, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated the fact that his office had approved 100,000 gun licenses since October 7.
WAFA reported that according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, hospitals in the West Bank have treated more than 55 injuries, ten of which were serious, most of them from live bullets in the recent escalation. This is in addition to dozens of injuries treated by ambulance crews at the scene.
More than 463 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers’ gunfire in the occupied West Bank since October 7, according to the ministry, the report added.
The news comes a week after Netanyahu announced that there “is a date” for a ground invasion of Rafah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to postpone the planned ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, according to the country’s public broadcaster.
The news comes a week after he announced there “is a date” for the invasion.
However, Netanyahu has in recent days decided to postpone the military action, the Israel National News website reported on Monday, citing a Kan 11 News news report of the day before.
The Anadolu news agency said that according to the public broadcaster, the postponement of the ground operation came after consultations with the Israeli security apparatus.
The prime minister has faced immense pressure for repeatedly vowing to press ahead with an invasion of the town where roughly 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. Many have been displaced from other areas destroyed by Israel in its ongoing military assault on the besieged enclave.
Last week Netanyahu said: “This victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It will happen – there is a date.”
The US administration has also stressed its opposition to an invasion of Rafah, with President Joe Biden warning it would cross “a red line”.
But Netanyahu, in an interview published by the Politico news website on March 10 said, “We’ll go there. We’re not going to leave. You know what the red line is, that October 7 doesn’t happen again. Never happens again.”
The US, Israel’s closest ally, pushed for a credible plan to protect civilians ahead of a ground offensive.
US State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller told reporters on March 11 that it was “our judgment that they cannot, should not go into Rafah without a humanitarian assistance plan that is credible and that they can actually implement,” adding “Let’s wait and see what it is they come up with.”
On March 15, Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had rejected the latest truce and prisoner-exchange proposal by the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas and, instead, approved an Israeli military plan to launch an operation in Rafah.
”The IDF (Israeli army) is prepared for the operation and to evacuate the (civilian) population,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, which was cited by the Times of Israel.
At a cabinet meeting on March 17, Netanyahu vowed not to bow to international pressure to halt the war on Gaza and instead press ahead with the invasion.
“No amount of international pressure will stop us from realizing all the goals of the war: eliminating Hamas, releasing all our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat against Israel,” Netanyahu said. “In order to do this, we will operate in Rafah.”
He also rejected calls for elections to be held in the country, saying it “will halt the war and paralyze the country for at least six months.”
“If the war was stopped now,” he said, “before all of its goals are achieved, this means that Israel will have lost the war, and this we will not allow…we cannot and will not succumb to this pressure.”
“Therefore, I reiterate: We will operate in Rafah. This will take several weeks, and it will happen,” Netanyahu added.
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has threatened to overthrow the government if Netanyahu ends the war on Gaza without attacking Rafah.
“If the Prime Minister decides to end the war without an extensive attack on Rafah in order to defeat Hamas, he will not have a mandate to continue serving as Prime Minister,” Ben-Gvir said in an X post on April 8.
אם ראש הממשלה יחליט לסיים את המלחמה ללא מתקפה נרחבת על רפיח על מנת להכריע את חמאס, לא יהיה לו מנדט להמשיך לכהן כראש הממשלה.
Israel’s military brigades stationed in the southern city of Khan Younis, withdrew the day before, described by Tel Aviv as part of preparations for potential further operations, particularly in Rafah.
Last week, a US official reportedly said the administration was yet to see a humanitarian plan ahead of a Rafah ground assault.
‘A Catastrophe’
World bodies and humanitarian organizations have also warned Israel against a Rafah invasion.
The secretary general of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said last month that “Clearly any ground invasion into Rafah would be an absolute catastrophe, it doesn’t bear thinking about, it would be disaster upon disaster.”
At the same time, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, appealed to Israel not to proceed with its planned ground assault on Rafah, warning that it would lead to more deaths and suffering.
“Further escalation of violence in this densely populated area would lead to many more deaths and suffering, especially with health facilities already overwhelmed.
The postponement comes after Iran launched drones and missiles on Saturday night against Israel in retaliation for the attack on its consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus on April 1.
The retaliatory attack involved a barrage of attack drones and missiles, with over 200 projectiles fired towards Israel.
Over 33,700 Killed
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 33,797 Palestinians have been killed, and 76,465 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
The Israeli occupation army continued its genocidal war against the Gaza Strip, marked by relentless bombings and targeting of civilians and displaced Palestinians.
Palestinian media reported that Israeli occupation forces released 150 Palestinians from Gaza, among them two paramedics held for approximately 50 days.
The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed the release of two of its team members in Khan Yunis after 50 days of detention. They were apprehended at a military checkpoint in Khan Yunis while evacuating patients from Al Amal Hospital.
“I want to step on their heads like they did to me.”
The child Nimr, who was released from the occupation prisons today, recounts the details of the occupation soldiers’ assault on him while in detention. pic.twitter.com/YObY4BxvZx
However, the fate of six other Red Crescent personnel remains unknown, as they are still held by the occupation forces.
A five-year-old girl succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces’ targeting of her and her family as they attempted to return to northern Gaza.
Heart-wrenching footage circulated online showing the child being struck by a bullet to the head, and her mother bidding her a final farewell before burial.
The Israeli occupation army killed this innocent girl while her family and she attempted to return to northern Gaza yesterday. pic.twitter.com/4REw2Boocd
This morning, Israeli artillery and gunboats fired upon Al-Rashid Street in Gaza, hindering displaced Palestinians’ attempts to return to their homes in Gaza City. Two Palestinians were injured in the gunfire as they tried to cross the Wadi Gaza Bridge.
In the central Gaza Strip, Israeli forces conducted a raid on a house east of the Maghazi camp, accompanied by intense explosions from mock airstrikes and sonic booms.
Artillery shelling targeted western areas of Gaza City, and renewed shelling hit the northern Nuseirat camp. Additionally, Israeli raids struck near the industrial zone in Beit Hanoun and eastern areas of the Jabaliya refugee camp.
A Palestinian man lost one of his legs after being detained by the occupation forces in Gaza.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 15, 2024
The United Nations reported that 41 percent of its planned aid missions were obstructed by Israeli forces from reaching northern Gaza between April 6 and 12. They emphasized the Israeli occupation’s obligation to facilitate humanitarian aid until it reaches civilians.
Gaza Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 33,729 Palestinians have been killed, and 76,371 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: 33,797 Palestinians have been killed, and 76,465 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 15, 2024
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Israeli occupation forces continued to open fire to Palestinian families heading north and killed a five-year-old Palestinian girl.
Four Israeli soldiers were wounded, one of them seriously, in a mine explosion in their vehicle near the border with Lebanon.
Iranian representative to the United Nations said that Israel will not respond as the international community calls on both parties to restraint and avoid further escalation.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 33,797 Palestinians have been killed, and 76,465 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
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AL-MAYADEEN: Large explosions in north of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
AL-JAZEERA: Israel military carries out incursion into the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun.
NBC: Israel’s response to Iran will be limited in scope.
Tuesday, April 16, 02:00 am (GMT+2)
ALJAZEERA: Three Palestinians were killed and others were wounded in Israeli shelling that targeted a house in the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
PJS: The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said that six journalists were killed and nine others were fatally injured during the month of March due to “the crimes of the Israeli occupation forces.”
MEZAN: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights said that since the beginning of its aggression on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces have detained 3,000 Palestinians from the Strip, including women, children, the elderly and doctors.
🚨Breaking: Al Mezan's latest probe reveals that Israeli forces have detained over 3,000 Palestinian residents of #Gaza in the past 6 months. 1,650 of them are being held under the Unlawful Combatants Law—a significantly higher number than reported so far.https://t.co/YKMIimmNs1
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 15, 2024
WAFA: Two Palestinians were killed as a result of being shot by settlers.
KAN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to receive calls from foreign leaders after the Iranian attack on Israel, for fear that he would be exposed to pressure that would prevent him from responding to the attack.
Monday, April 15, 9:00 pm (GMT+2)
HAARETZ: International pressure affects Israel’s decision regarding Iran.
CHANNEL 12: The response will be in a way that Washington accepts and is not likely to drag the region into war.
JOHN KIRBY: Reports that we received early warning from Iran before it responded to Israel are false.
ISRAELI ARMY SPOKESMAN: Nevatim base was subjected to 4 minor strikes.
#BREAKING Netanyahu refused to take calls from foreign leaders, fearing they would pressure Israel to avoid military response to Iran's attack, says public broadcaster KAN pic.twitter.com/TzU8wgV5CA
AL-JAZEERA: An Israeli raid targeted the town of Mays al-Jabal in southern Lebanon.
HERZI HALEVY: Halevy visited the Nevatim military base in the Negev – which was targeted by the Iranian attack on Saturday night – and said that “firing missiles at Israel will be met with a response.”
US OFFICIAL (to Al-Jazeera): We continue our efforts to prevent further escalation, but the decision rests with Israel.
NBC (quoting Israeli official): A response to the Iranian attack may be imminent, and that any response would be coordinated with Washington.
REUTERS: United Airlines cancels its flights to Tel Aviv.
US OFFICIAL: Israel may resort to attacking targets deep inside Iran.
IRAQI PM: Our views with Washington may differ regarding events in the region.
BIDEN: We are committed to a ceasefire that will return the hostages and prevent the conflict from expanding.
US STATE DEPARTMENT: The US State Department expressed its increasing concern about violence against Palestinian civilians and their property in the West Bank.
AL-JAZEERA: an intense Israeli artillery bombardment targeted Lebanese territory, and that the bombing hit the vicinity of the towns of Shebaa and Rashaya al-Fakhar in southern Lebanon.
Monday, April 15, 6:15 pm (GMT+2)
NYT: Israel is considering response options ranging from diplomacy to an imminent strike.
AL-JAZEERA: Four missiles were fired at the Israeli radar site in Shebaa Farms.
ISRAELI ARMY SPOKESMAN: the Rafah operation is still on the table, and “we still have to complete it successfully.”
ISRAELI ARMY: The Israeli army announced that tomorrow, Tuesday, it will conduct maneuvers in Central Galilee and Upper Galilee as part of what it described as preparations for threats from various fronts.
LEBANESE PM: Lebanon cannot remain silent about Israeli attacks.
FRANCE: We summoned the Iranian ambassador and assured him of our condemnation of the attack on Israel.
ISRAELI MINISTER OF CULTURE: Israel decided to reduce the intensity of the fighting in Gaza, because it wants to reach an exchange deal.
HEZBOLLAH: We targeted a gathering of enemy soldiers and left them dead and wounded.
Monday, April 15, 5:00 pm (GMT+2)
KAN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with opposition leaders regarding tensions with Iran has been postponed due to his busy schedule.
WALLA: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informed his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, that there must be a response to the Iranian attack.
IRAN: If Israel embarks on a new adventure, our response will be faster and stronger.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 15, 2024
WALLA: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informed his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, that there must be a response to the Iranian attack.
IRAN: If Israel embarks on a new adventure, our response will be faster and stronger.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: the Israeli occupation army blew up a number of homes near the Wadi Gaza area, north of the Nuseirat camp.
Monday, April 15, 4:15 pm (GMT+2)
ISRAELI ARMY: The Israeli occupation army announced that it lost a drone that fell near Nablus in the West Bank today, indicating that the incident is under investigation.
AL-JAZEERA: 14 bodies were recovered from Al-Shifa Courtyard and areas in Khan Yunis.
BLINKEN: We do not seek to escalate tensions in the Middle East.
WSJ (quoting Western officials): We expect Israel to respond quickly to Iran’s attack.
CHANNEL 12: The war council meeting ended without a statement.
AL-JAZEERA: A missile was fired from southern Lebanon towards an Israeli position in the vicinity of the Matat settlement in the Upper Galilee.
ISRAEL HAYOM: Netanyahu requests a meeting with opposition leaders to inform them of developments in the Iranian attack.
CNN: Israel delayed its attack on Rafah to study a response to Iran.
ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTRY: The war on the Gaza Strip led to an increase in debt to 200% last year.
Monday, April 15, 3:00 pm (GMT+2)
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Two children were killed and a number of Palestinians were injured by Israeli occupation army bullets north of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Two children were killed and a number of Palestinians were injured by Israeli occupation army bullets north of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 15, 2024
MSBNC (quoting John Kirby): Biden discussed with the leaders of the G7 a unified diplomatic response to Iran.
CNN (citing Israeli officials): he Israeli War Council is determined to respond to Iran’s attack and its members are discussing the timing and scope of the response.
Monday, April 15, 2:00 pm (GMT+2)
ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: Hamas and Iran are seeking escalation.
LAPID: Netanyahu’s government will bring us ruin and must be overthrown.
GERMAN FM: The German Foreign Ministry spokesman said that his country summoned Tehran’s ambassador to Berlin on Monday morning against the backdrop of the attack launched by Iran on Israel with missiles and drones.
SAUDI FM: We support the necessity of seeking a sustainable truce that leads to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the lifting of the siege on it.
SAUDI FM: We support the necessity of seeking a sustainable truce that leads to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the lifting of the siege on it.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 15, 2024
Monday, April 15, 1:00 pm (GMT+2)
UN HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERTS: The destruction of buildings in Gaza is the highest in history.
HEZBOLLAH: Our fighters detonated an explosive device belonging to the Israeli occupation army, from the Golani Brigade, that crossed the border into Lebanon. It confirmed that its fighters killed and wounded members of the force.
IRANIAN FM: Iran’s Foreign Ministry denies coordination with any party regarding the attack on Israel.
Monday, April 15, 12:00 pm (GMT+2)
AL-JAZEERA: Sirens sounded in several Israeli towns in the Western Galilee near the border with Lebanon, and explained that the occupation authorities suspect that a drone has infiltrated the area.
ISRAELI ARMY: We bombed Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon.
Monday, April 15, 11:30 am (GMT+2)
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: 33,797 Palestinians have been killed, and 76,465 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: 33,797 Palestinians have been killed, and 76,465 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 15, 2024
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: Malak Haniyeh, the granddaughter of Hamas’ political bureau leader, Ismail Haniyeh, died of her wounds.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: A Palestinian was killed and 3 others were injured as a result of an Israeli bombing targeting Palestinian civilians in the Ard al-Mufti area, north of Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip.
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: Malak Haniyeh, the granddaughter of Hamas' political bureau leader, Ismail Haniyeh, died of her wounds.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 15, 2024
REUTERS (citing Iranian source): Tehran informed Washington through countries including Qatar, Turkey and Switzerland of the scheduled day to launch its attack on Israel.
NBC (quoting US official): Nine missiles hit two Israeli air bases in the Negev during the Iranian attack. The official, described as high-ranking, confirmed that five missiles hit the Nevatim base, damaging a transport plane, a runway, and storage facilities.
JUST IN: Slowly lies are exposed and the truth is surfacing:
A senior US official told ABC News that at least 9 Iranian missiles penetrated Israeli air defenses & hit 2 Israeli air bases. He added that 5 ballistic missiles hit the Nevatim Air Base, causing damage to a C-130… pic.twitter.com/9kcirz8eEk
AL-AWDA HOSPITAL: We received four dead bodies and 13 wounded from the Nuseirat refugee camp in the last 24 hours.
Monday, April 15, 10:30 am (GMT+2)
CHINESE FM: The Chinese Foreign Ministry called on both Iran and Israel to maintain calm and restraint and avoid further escalation.
GERMANY’S FM: Israel must resort to diplomacy now to preserve the “defensive victory” it achieved during the Iranian attack on it.
ISRAELI ARMY RADIO: Four Israeli soldiers were injured in a mine explosion in their vehicle near the border with Lebanon, and stated that the condition of one of them was serious.
IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: Our response to Israel was logical and responsible.
FINANCIAL TIMES: The European Union is discussing imposing new economic sanctions on Iran.
IRAN’S REPRESENTATIVE TO UN: Israel will not respond to our attack.
ISRAELI ARMY RADIO: Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that Israel must control Gaza militarily and operationally so that it can develop moderate local forces.
ISRAELI ARMY RADIO: Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that Israel must control Gaza militarily and operationally so that it can develop moderate local forces.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 15, 2024
Monday, April 15, 09:00 am (GMT+2)
KLM: The company has canceled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until tomorrow.
BRITISH FM: Cameron urged Israel not to escalate, and said that Britain would consider imposing more sanctions on Iran.
MACRON: We must convince Israel not to respond to Iran’s attack.
REUTERS: European Aviation Agency: We recommend caution in Iranian airspace.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: A five-year-old girl died in the Gaza Strip from injuries she sustained as a result of targeting her and her family by the Israeli occupation forces during their attempt to return to the northern Gaza Strip.
ISRAELI ARMY RADIO: Four Israeli soldiers were injured in a mine explosion in their vehicle near the border with Lebanon, and stated that the condition of one of them was serious.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 15, 2024
Monday, April 15, 08:00 am (GMT+2)
AL-JAZEERA: Israeli occupation army’s artillery and gunboats were firing on Al-Rashid Street in the Strip to prevent displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes in Gaza City.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Israeli occupation forces launched a raid on a house east of the Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip.
AL-JAZEERA: Two people were injured as a result of the occupation forces shooting at displaced people in Gaza.
ISRAELI ARMY: the Air Force intercepted a drone tonight that crossed Israeli airspace from the east.
Monday, April 15, 06:00 am (GMT+2)
AL-JAZEERA: international and domestic flights have been resumed at Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
Monday, April 15, 04:30 am (GMT+2)
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: The Israeli occupying forces launched artillery shelling in the western areas of Gaza City. Artillery shelling also renewed on the north of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: The Israeli occupying forces launched artillery shelling in the western areas of Gaza City. Artillery shelling also renewed on the north of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas confirmed that its adherence to its demands and the demands of the Palestinian people.
Unnamed sources revealed the details of the response of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, to the proposal for a ceasefire agreement and prisoner exchange in Gaza, Al-Jazeera reported on Sunday.
The Hamas response, which was handed to the mediators, indicated that the Palestinian movement wants to adhere to the proposed framework of a three-phase ceasefire, each lasting 42 days.
Hamas had announced on Saturday evening that it had handed over to mediators in Egypt and Qatar its response to the proposal it received last Monday, expressing its readiness to conclude a “serious and real prisoner exchange deal between the two parties.”
Hamas also confirmed in a press statement – published through its official account on the Telegram platform – its adherence to its demands and the demands of the Palestinian people, which include:
“A permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation army from the entire Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced to their areas and places of residence, the intensification of relief and aid entry and the start of reconstruction.”
Sources close to Hamas pointed to the growing conviction of the movement’s leadership that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is deliberately disrupting the negotiations.
The sources revealed to Al-Jazeera that the recent Israeli offer did not carry anything new regarding the return of the displaced to their places of residence in the northern Gaza Strip.
Earlier in the day, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee dismissed rumors of the Israeli army allowing the return of Palestinians to the area.
Israeli forces shelled on Sunday hundreds of displaced Palestinians as they attempted to return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, the Anadolu news agency reported.
Initial reports did not indicate any casualties, according to an Anadolu correspondent.
Earlier in the day, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee dismissed rumors of the Israeli army allowing the return of Palestinians to the area.
“Reports on Israeli army forces allowing the return of the Palestinian population to the northern Gaza Strip area are false and completely baseless rumors,” Adraee wrote on X, adding that “the Israeli army does not allow the return of residents, neither through Salah al-Din Street nor through Al-Rashid Street Street.”
Adraee warned Palestinians against approaching Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip.
“The northern Gaza Strip is still a war zone and we will not allow a return to it,” he said.
The moment Israeli occupation forces bombed displaced Palestinians whilst they were trying to return to the north of Gaza Strip through Al Rasheed street.
When the Israeli army began another invasion in central Gaza, more Palestinians were forced to head south.
The vast majority of Gaza’s population is now trapped in the southern city of Rafah. Before the war, Rafah was home to an estimated 275,000 people but the population increased to 1.4 million people, according to UN estimates.
Gaza Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 33,729 Palestinians have been killed, and 76,371 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
A recent New York Times made many claims about the ‘mass rape’ of Israeli women on October 7. But two leading Palestinian media organizations, The Palestine Chronicle and Friends of Palestine Network, conducted a joint investigation, the outcome of which resulted in the ‘The Black Dress’, a groundbreaking 18-minute documentary looking into allegations and the possible falsification of evidence.
(The Palestine Chronicle is a registered 501(c)3 organization, thus, all donations are tax deductible.)
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Image: Palestine Chronicle) 
Hezbollah targeted several Israeli military sites. (Photo: video grab) 
Yazan Shtayyeh, 17, was killed by Israeli occupation forces in Nablus. (Photo: via social media) 
Russian spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. (Photo: Valery Sharifulin, via TASS) 
Palestinians urged ICC prosecutor to take action against illegal settlers. (Design: Palestine Chronicle) 
Senior US officials have warned against the invasion of Rafah. (Image: Palestine Chronicle) 
Israeli forces continue to carry out massacres in Gaza. (Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle) 
Israel continued to bomb Gaza. (Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle) 
‘Shalom’, one of the two released Israelis shake the hand of a Qassam fighter. (Photo: Military Media, video grab) 
Israeli occupation forces opened fire at displaced Palestinians attempting to return to northern Gaza. (Photo: video grab) 
