Yesterday’s heavy attack by Tel Aviv on Gaza: at least 34 dead
April 30, 2024
UPDATING – Joe’s commitment doesn’t stop Biden in trying to reach a truce in the Strip. The American president spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani for an agreement on the ceasefire and the release of the hostages. Israel, for its part, has warned Hamas that if an agreement is not reached in the next few days, they will launch aoffensive on Rafah. In the meantime, Tel Aviv continues to strike Gaza: at least 34 people were killed and 68 were injured in yesterday’s raids.
09:56 Hamas replies to Blinken: “Stopping crimes is not generosity”
There is nothing “generous” about stopping the attacks that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, “the attack itself is a crime, so when you stop a crime you cannot say that it is a generous action by Israeli side.” Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, told Al-Jazeera, replying to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who yesterday declared that Hamas “has an extraordinarily generous proposal before it” and had invited the Palestinian group to decide quickly. Blinken is in the region on his seventh diplomatic mission to the Middle East since the war began.
09:11 Media Israel: “Agreement on truce or Rafah attack”
If there is no ceasefire agreement with Hamas “in the next few days” Israel will launch the offensive in Rafah. This is what Israeli Army Radio reports, citing security sources. “If there is no progress in the negotiations for an agreement in the next few days, the order will be given to launch an operation in Rafah,” reads a post on the radio’s social networks, which cites “security officials”. Hamas negotiators are reportedly preparing a written response to the latest proposed agreement, which would provide for a 40-day ceasefire. The Ynet newspaper reports that the plan for the Rafah operation has been completed and that the IDF estimates that a decision will be made in the next 48-72 hours.
07:04 Palestinian universities to US students: “You give us hope”
“In a time of great darkness, your protests explode and give hope to humanity that justice is not an abstract concept but an ongoing struggle that connects us all.” This is what we read in a letter sent by Palestinian universities to students and teachers of the Gaza solidarity camps in US academic institutions. “Your values are emancipating the university from structural racism and complicity with power and colonialism,” the letter reads. “At a time when the voices of the oppressed are intentionally silenced, your solidarity serves as a beacon of hope. Your actions are a ringing message that injustice and oppression will not be tolerated,” the Palestinian universities wrote. “We draw inspiration from the courage of those who reject and resist the ongoing injustices of colonialism and military occupation. We welcome you to our universities in a liberated Palestine,” the letter concludes.
06:01 34 Palestinians killed yesterday in Israeli raids
At least 34 people were killed and 68 injured in Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip yesterday. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Sources say many victims are still trapped under rubble and on the streets because rescuers are still unable to reach them.
01:22 Biden to Egypt and Qatar: “Commitment to ceasefire in Gaza”
Joe Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani about the agreement for the release of Hamas hostages and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The White House reports this in a note. Biden, we read, “confirmed that the United States together with Egypt and Qatar will work to ensure the full implementation of its terms” and “urged” the two leaders “to make all efforts to ensure the release of the detained hostages by Hamas as this is now the only obstacle to an immediate ceasefire and aid for civilians in Gaza.” Together, the note explains, “they examined ongoing initiatives to increase the flow of life-saving assistance to the population of Gaza.”
00:59 Khamenei: “In the West people take to the streets against Israel and the USA”
“Look what’s happening in the world. In Western countries, in England, France and the countries around the United States, people are taking to the streets en masse and shouting against Israel and the United States.” Sayyid Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran, wrote it on social media. “Israel and the United States have lost their dignity and really have no way to address the situation,” he adds, posting a series of videos of the protests.
