A view of the severe destruction following the withdrawal of Israeli forces after severely damaging Palestinians’ properties in a 3-day raid, West Bank, April 20, 2024. /CFP
A view of the severe destruction following the withdrawal of Israeli forces after severely damaging Palestinians’ properties in a 3-day raid, West Bank, April 20, 2024. /CFP
At least 14 Palestinians have been killed during an ongoing Israeli military operation for the third consecutive day in the city of Tulkarm and the refugee camp in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Saturday.
The ministry said in a press statement sent to Xinhua that the bodies of the 14 Palestinians killed were transferred to Tulkarm Hospital from the Nour Shams Palestinian refugee camp east of the city.
The statement didn’t provide further details.
Palestinian security sources said that Israeli forces, accompanied by military bulldozers, entered the camp on Thursday, imposing a stringent siege and demolishing main streets, infrastructure, residential homes and shops.
The sources noted that the ongoing military operation, coinciding with power outages, water cuts and the disruption of communication and internet networks in the camp, was the most severe in years.
The Palestinian death toll in Gaza from ongoing Israeli attacks has risen to 34,049, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Saturday.
In a press statement, the ministry said the Israeli army killed 37 Palestinians and wounded 68 others during the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 34,049 and injuries to 76,901 since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out last October.
Israeli military reinforcements surround Nour Shams refugee camp during a prolonged raid near the city of Tulkarm, April 20, 2024. /CFP
Israeli military reinforcements surround Nour Shams refugee camp during a prolonged raid near the city of Tulkarm, April 20, 2024. /CFP
The peace process in the region
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that solving the Palestinian issue will promote stability in the Middle East region.
In an interview with Palestine’s official news agency WAFA, Abbas described the United States’ veto in denying Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations as “disappointing, irresponsible, and unjustified,” which is “a blatant aggression against the rights of the Palestinian people,” and “a challenge to the will of the international community.”
He stressed that “we will reconsider bilateral relations with the United States to ensure the protection of the interests of our people, our cause, and our rights.”
Meanwhile, Abbas condemned the United States’ continued support for weapon and fund supplies to Israel, with which, Abbas said, Israel “kills our children, demolishes our homes, and opposes us in the international community, harming security and stability in the region and the world.”
The president stressed that stability in the Middle East will not be achieved without a just solution to the Palestinian issue, which “cannot be broken, liquidated, or subjugated.”
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a legislative package on Saturday, with broad bipartisan support, providing about $26 billion in security assistance to Israel, according to Reuters. The Senate is expected to pass the measure next week, sending it to U.S. President Joe Biden to sign into law.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday met with visiting Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul on the Gaza conflict and relevant peace efforts.
According to the Turkish presidential office, the two leaders discussed Israeli aggression against Palestinian territories, the necessity of guaranteeing sustainable and unimpeded humanitarian aid delivery to the Gaza Strip, and matters concerning a fair and enduring peace process in the region.
In assessing the recent tension between Israel and Iran, a regional spillover from months of heavy Israeli strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza, Erdogan cautioned against “recent events” to grant Israel any leverage, urging a concerted effort to refocus attention on Gaza.
Erdogan called for a more effective presentation of Palestine’s just cause and realities, in contrast to Israel’s attempts to mislead international public opinion.
“Türkiye persists in its diplomatic endeavors to bring the plight of Palestinians to the forefront of the international community’s attention and has consistently emphasized the imperative for an immediate and enduring ceasefire to halt the ongoing atrocities,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by the presidential office.
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks chant slogans as they block the Ayalon highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem near Latrun with burning barrels, during a protest calling for their release, April 19, 2024. /CFP
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks chant slogans as they block the Ayalon highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem near Latrun with burning barrels, during a protest calling for their release, April 19, 2024. /CFP
‘Time is running out’
The latest round of protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu erupted on Saturday as thousands of Israelis marched on the streets to demand new elections and more action from the government for the release of the hostages held in Gaza, Reuters reported.
As the operation in Gaza approaches its seventh month, protests continue amid rising anger towards the government’s approach to the 133 Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Surveys indicate that most Israelis blame Netanyahu for the security failures that led to the devastating Hamas attack on southern Israeli communities on October 7, the report said.
According to opinion polls, Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has repeatedly ruled out early elections, which opinion polls suggest he would lose, saying that voting in the middle of a war would only reward Hamas, the report added.
With the recent attack by Iranian drones and missiles on Israel, attention has been diverted from the conflict in Gaza, and many relatives of the remaining hostages are worried that time is running out.
(With input from agencies)