First the frost, then Hamas seems to have reopened a window of opportunity in the ongoing negotiations in Cairo. The leader of the faction, Ismail Haniyeh, cleared away the clouds that were gathering over the negotiations in the Egyptian capital. «The movement – he said, denying other exponents of the Islamic faction who spoke of a negative response – is studying the ceasefire proposal in a positive spirit». For this reason, after a telephone conversation with the head of Egyptian intelligence Abbas Kamal, he agreed to send his delegation to Cairo again.
Negotiating positions, or tactics, continue to focus on the issue – reports an Egyptian source familiar with the talks – of nature of the ceasefire: Hamas demands it be definitive, Israel wants a temporary truce. The Jewish State does not intend to give up on the military operation in Rafah, as Benyamin Netanyahu continues to reiterate. “We will do what is necessary to win and defeat our enemy, even in Rafah” he said again today admitting the “diversity of opinions” in his government on entering the Palestinian city close to Egypt.
It doesn’t stop the wall to wall between Turkey and Israel: «Ankara – second Bloomberg which cites two officials familiar with the matter – has stopped all exports and imports to and from the Jewish state” who reacted forcefully: «Erdogan’s behavior is like a dictator» who ignores «international agreements». Now according to Minister Katz, Israel will seek «alternatives to trade with Turkey».
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4.16pm
IDF: an Israeli killed on October 7 identified, he is Elyakim Libman, until now believed to be a hostage. Complex investigation
The Israeli army has announced that at the end of “a long and complex” investigation, the body of Elyakim Libman, previously believed to be a Hamas hostage and killed in the October 7 attack by the Islamic faction, has been identified. “His body – he added – was found in Israel”. The identification investigation – he explained – was based on “field evidence” and was conducted by the army itself, the police and the National Institute of Forensic Medicine.
3.27pm
Netanyahu, “we have already brought back half of them, we will not forget anyone”
“We are determined to bring all the hostages home” This was said by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a meeting with Shoah survivors on the eve of the Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel. “We are making great efforts to this end,” he added. “We have already brought back half of them. We will not forget anyone.”
3.20pm
WHO, the food situation in Gaza improves “slightly”.
The food situation in Gaza is improving slightly even if the risk of famine persists: according to the World Health Organization. “There is a little more food, more varied”, said the WHO representative in the Palestinian territories, Rik Peeperkorn, reporting testimonies from the local population, in a press conference in Geneva with video link from Jerusalem. “What I have noticed over time is that there are certainly more basic foods, more wheat, but also a little more diversified foods in the markets, not only in the south but also in the north” of the Strip.
2.34pm
The IDF exercise simulates war with Hezbollah
The 282nd artillery regiment of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out an exercise to simulate a war with Hezbollah. The Times of Israel reports it. The maneuver, the IDF reported, involved a “rapid deployment of howitzers” and aimed to simulate “various battle scenarios on the border with Lebanon against the terrorist group Hezbollah”. Since the beginning of the war with Hamas, Israel has suffered missile attacks from southern Lebanon, hitting Hezbollah positions and targets in response.
2.16pm
Tension on campuses in the United States, the police clear the encampment at New York University
The New York Police Department (NYPD) said it had cleared out the encampment of pro-Gaza protesters at New York University. CNN reports it. The university, explained deputy commissioner Kaz Daughtry, has requested “assistance to clear out the illegal encampment on its property. We are on site and will provide assistance with the unparalleled professionalism of our police officers”.
2pm
Erdogan on import-export stop with Israel: “We had to do it”
“We couldn’t stand by and watch.” This was stated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, commenting on the decision to completely stop trade with Israel, officially taken yesterday by Turkey. “The situation of the latest developments between Israel and Palestine is unacceptable,” Erdogan said during a press conference in Istanbul broadcast by Turkish state TV TRT, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of not having a conscience. “Between us there was an economic exchange of 9.5 billion dollars” said the Turkish leader.
12.31pm
Four children killed by Israeli bombs in Gaza
It was an extremely bloody night in Rafah. A residential building was destroyed and at least six Palestinians were killed, including four children. The attack was carried out after midnight, without any warning. It was near the house where I take refuge, in northern Rafah. The entire area felt the shocks of the bombing.
11:39
Head of orthopedics at Gaza hospital dies in prison in Israel
The head of orthopedics at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, Adnan Al-Bursh, died while locked up in an Israeli prison, after being arrested in December while working temporarily at Al-Awda hospital in the north of the Strip. This is what was reported by two associations of Palestinian prisoners, who accused the Jewish state of his “murder”. The body is still in Israeli hands, they added. The doctor’s death was confirmed by the armed forces (IDF), according to which Bursh died on April 19 in Ofer prison, where he was held for national security reasons.
09:54
According to Israel, 400 trucks with humanitarian aid have entered Gaza
Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said it allowed 400 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter Gaza yesterday. In a post on
The Gaza government’s press office said Wednesday that Israel allowed an average of 163 aid trucks into Gaza per day in April. This is significantly less than the 1,000 daily trucks that Gaza officials say are needed to meet the needs of Palestinians in the enclave.
07:37
The Israeli army bombs a house in Rafah, killing 6 people, including 4 children
The Israeli army bombed a house in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, killing six people, including four children. Other people were injured in the attack, which hit the az-Zuhour neighborhood of the city.
Also injured after an Israeli bomb hit a house in the Tal as-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah, while nine people were injured in a bombing that hit the Bureij camp, in central Gaza.
07:16
Syria, 8 soldiers injured in an Israeli raid near Damascus
Eight Syrian soldiers were injured overnight in Israeli airstrikes near Damascus. This is what was reported by the Syrian Ministry of Defense, according to which “the Israeli enemy launched air strikes from the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting a site near Damascus and wounding eight soldiers”. For its part, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israel struck a government building in rural Damascus used by Hezbollah since 2014.
07:09
Israel confirms death of Dror Or, one of the hostages in Gaza
The Israeli government has confirmed the death of an Israeli held hostage in Gaza. Dror Or, 49, was killed and his body has been held in Gaza since October 7, said Kibbutz Be’eri where he lived, one of the communities hardest hit by the Hamas attack. His wife Yonat was killed in the assault, while two of their three children, Noam and Alma, aged 17 and 13, were kidnapped and then freed in November as part of a ceasefire and hostage-swap deal with prisoners between Israel and Hamas. The government has given no explanation as to how it learned of Or’s death.
00:50
Schumer and Johnson intend to invite Netanyahu to Congress
The speaker of the House, Republican Mike Johnson, and the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, intend to invite the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu to Congress. He brings it back TheHill citing some sources. Schumer recently harshly criticized Netanyahu, calling him an obstacle to peace.
00:03
Sciences Po University in Paris closes today due to occupation
The prestigious French university Sciences Po said that its main Paris office will be closed today due to a new building occupation by dozens of protesting pro-Palestinian students. In a message sent to staff, management said that buildings in central Paris “will remain closed on Friday 3 May. We ask you to continue working from home.” A committee of pro-Palestinian students today announced a “peaceful sit-in” at Sciences Po and he said that six students were starting a hunger strike “in solidarity with Palestinian victims” in war-torn Gaza.
