• It is the 144th day of the war: Since October 7, over 30,000 people have been killed and 70,325 injured in Gaza.
• Jordan's king flies aid plane to Gaza as Israeli finance minister announces settlement expansion
• “Representatives of Hamas and Fatah will meet in Moscow”
• European Parliament “calls for an immediate ceasefire”
8:30 a.m. – Healthcare in Gaza: Palestinian death toll exceeds 30,000
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel's military intervention began in Gaza. This is according to the figure updated by the local Hamas-owned health ministry, which was republished by France Presse. The note with the new toll states that at least 79 people have died in the last 24 hours.
8:15 a.m. – CNN: The US is concerned about possible Israeli action in Lebanon
Joe Biden's administration is concerned about Israel making preparations for ground operations in Lebanon in late spring or early summer. This was reported by CNN and by Israeli media, explaining that the possibility would arise if diplomatic negotiations failed to force Hezbollah to withdraw from the border with Israel, as provided for in UN Resolution 1701. Israel has repeatedly denounced the situation following sustained rocket fire from Lebanon that began on October 8.
8:01 a.m. – New Zealand, sanctions against Hamas, but also against Israeli settlers
New Zealand, one of the few Western countries that has not yet taken this step, has added all of Hamas to its list of “terrorist entities.” However, the government has also imposed travel bans on “extremist” Israeli settlers: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was “gravely concerned about the significant increase in extremist violence by Israeli settlers” against Palestinians in recent months; a fact, he added, “particularly destabilizing in an already serious crisis.”
7:39 a.m. – Biden staff fears Israel's operation against Hezbollah
The US government is concerned about suspicions that Israel is considering launching a ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon in the coming months. CNN reports this, citing informed, albeit anonymous, sources within the administration. There would also have been intelligence briefings on the subject among Biden's staff, but the fear is that there will be “an Israeli military operation in the coming months”: perhaps not “in the next few weeks” but “perhaps later in the spring.”
6:23 a.m. – Hamas, over 30,000 dead in Gaza since the war began
Hamas' health ministry said the death toll in Gaza since the conflict with Israel began on October 7 was “over 30,000.” At least 79 people were killed in Israeli attacks last night alone.
6:12 a.m. – Media: “IDF attack on Nuseirat camp in Gaza, 25 victims”
At least 25 people were killed in an attack by Israeli forces in the Nuseirat camp in the center of the Gaza Strip. That's what the media says, according to reports from the Jerusalem Post.
3:50 a.m. – The US is examining the possibility of dropping aid supplies from planes to Gaza
The White House is considering sending aid to Gaza by plane as land deliveries become increasingly difficult. Four U.S. officials told Axios. “The situation is really serious. We need extreme measures like airdrops,” one of the sources said. But officials admit that air assistance is limited because a military jet can only drop as many supplies as one or two trucks can carry. So they can be used in an emergency, but the only way to send aid to Gaza is by land, the sources emphasize.
3:19 a.m. – Syrian state television: “Explosions near Damascus, enemy targets intercepted”
Syrian state television reported explosions near Damascus. The country's state media added that air defenses intercepted “enemy targets” near the capital.
2:46 a.m. – European Parliament “calls for an immediate ceasefire”
“The European Parliament calls for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in order to guarantee its residents uninterrupted access to food and water.” This is the text of an amendment proposed by the Left Group in the report on the protection of the Gaza Strip adopted by the Chamber in Strasbourg human rights against authoritarian regimes.
02:17 a.m. – Arab media: “Iran gives Hezbollah the green light to intensify attacks on Israel”
Iran has reportedly given the terrorist organization Hezbollah the green light to increase its attacks along Israel's northern border. This is reported by the Arab Post, citing high-ranking Iranian and Lebanese sources. The Islamic Republic reportedly placed conditions on Hezbollah, ordering it not to launch a full-scale attack against Israel until it was “convinced of Israel's intention” to carry out an invasion of the southern Gaza town of Rafah.
According to Arab Post reports, Tehran has given Hezbollah the green light, fearing that after the IDF's invasion of Rafah is completed, southern Lebanon will be “the next” target. An Iranian Revolutionary Guard source told Arab Post that Esmail Qaani, commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, met with Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on Monday to discuss “the latest developments” along Israel's northern border. The meeting between the two reportedly took place at the request of Nasrallah, who called for the “need” to hold an emergency meeting following “information available” indicating Israel's intention to launch a large-scale attack against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
02:00 – The German frigate repels a first attack by the Houthis
The German frigate “Hessen,” stationed in the Red Sea to protect merchant ships, repelled “for the first time” an attack by the Houthi militias operating in Yemen. The Dpa reported this on the grounds that the ship of the EU military mission “Aspides” shot down two drones “in quick succession” last night. It was the German Navy's first use of weapons in the operation that began on Friday and, according to the authority, is considered the most dangerous naval operation in the history of the Bundeswehr, today's Bundeswehr.
1:41 a.m. – Controversy at the Venice Biennale: 12,000 signatures collected for the exclusion of Israel
(by Paolo Conti) The conflict in the Middle East takes center stage in a sensational way at the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, curated by the Brazilian Adriano Perosa and entitled “Foreigners Everywhere”.
A long list of artists, exhibition curators, teachers and students of art and architecture have signed an appeal letter coordinated by Anga/Art Not Genocide Alliance demanding the exclusion of Israel and its national pavilion from the Venetian exhibition, which opens the next day 20th of April. As artribune.com reports, there were more than 12,000 signatures as of Tuesday evening, as seen on anga.live.
01:14 a.m. – Miller (USA): “Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are hindering peace”
The program to build Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank represents “an obstacle to peace” in the Middle East and is “a violation of international norms.” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said this during a press conference.
12:40 a.m. – Media: “Hamas and Fatah representatives will meet in Moscow to discuss the future of Gaza”
A meeting between representatives of Hamas and Fatah is scheduled for tomorrow in Moscow to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip, particularly a Palestinian unity government and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. This was reported by various media outlets, notably Haaretz citing Portal, which in turn refers to Russian media.
00:19 – The King of Jordan personally pilots the aid plane to Gaza
King Abdullah of Jordan personally took part in a flight that parachuted relief supplies into the Gaza Strip. Jordan's Petra news agency reported this, citing an anonymous diplomat who was not authorized to speak on the matter. According to the report, seven planes dropped aid into the Gaza Strip, six of which apparently took off from Jordan. Egypt, Qatar, France and the United Arab Emirates also took part in the operation.