Raids by Israeli settlers in the West Bank have left at least 14 people dead. In Rafah 16 people were killed by Israeli bombing, nine of them were children
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At least 14 Palestinians were killed on Saturday after a two-day attack by the Israel Defense Forces (IDS) near the West Bank town of Tulkarem. The IDF and border police said at least ten gunmen were killed in an IED attack. Nine IDF soldiers were injured.
In another incident, a Palestinian ambulance driver was killed, allegedly by Israeli settlers, near the city of Nablus, Palestinian sources said. Israeli settlers are increasingly accused of provoking violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
US sanctions against Israeli battalion
Citing several unidentified sources, the Axios website said on Saturday that the United States intends to sanction an Israeli combat battalion, the “Nethah Yehuda”, for human rights abuses in the West Bank.
According to the online news organization, Secretary of State Blinken is expected to announce the measure within “a few days.” If it happens, it will be the first time the United States will sanction an Israeli unit. Previously, the United States imposed sanctions against individual Israeli settlers in the West Bank for alleged attacks of extreme violence against Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted by calling any intention to impose sanctions on IDF units or soldiers “absurd”. At the same time, Netanyahu welcomed the US House of Representatives’ vote on legislation unblocking military aid to Israel, along with Taiwan and Ukraine. “Thank you friends, thank you America!” he said, adding that the law demonstrates “strong bipartisan support for Israel and defends Western civilization.”
Mass grave discovered in Khan Younis
According to the pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera, the Palestinian emergency services have discovered a mass grave with fifty bodies at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. The discovery comes after the Israeli army withdrew its troops from the southern city on April 7. Much of the city is now in ruins after months of incessant Israeli bombing and heavy fighting.
IDF bombing continues on Rafah, in the south of the Strip. According to local sources, at least 16 people died on the night between Saturday and Sunday following an Israeli bombing, nine were children.
