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SvennoJ on 10 March 2024
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More provocations

Israeli forces block entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

Israeli forces prevented a large number of Palestinian worshipers from entering the compound in occupied East Jerusalem for Taraweeh prayers on the eve of Ramadan, local media reports.

In a video verified by Al Jazeera, Israeli forces can be seen shoving a young man as he tries to enter the compound.

5,479 students killed in Israel’s war on Gaza: Official

According to Sadeq al-Khadour, a spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Education, 52 students have been killed in the occupied West Bank since October 7, and another 10,000 students and faculty were wounded in the besieged coastal enclave. “More than 261 faculty have been killed since the war began,” he tells Al Jazeera. “Almost 286 out of 307 government school buildings sustained some damage.”

“We must remember that 620,000 students in the Gaza Strip have been out of school since October 7, including 320,000 in government facilities and 300,000 in UNRWA and private schools.”

In one of the most infamous examples of Israel’s attacks on Palestinian educational institutions, footage showed the complete demolition of a Gaza university:


Hamas outlines requirements for truce negotiations

Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political bureau, is currently delivering an address on Hamas’s positon in negations for a truce in the Gaza war. He says the group’s requirements include securing a ceasefire, which is something Israel has not agreed to adhere to.

“Just hours before my speech, I reached out to the interlocutors and I did not receive any confirmation that the occupation will halt the war,” he says. “The occupation did not commit to having people return to the areas they were pushed out of,” he adds.

The Hamas official, in his ongoing speech, says that the group has showed great responsibility, positivity and flexibility in the negotiation process under the auspices of Qatar and Egypt. “If Israel adheres to a ceasefire and allows people to return to the areas they were forced to flee from, we will demonstrate flexibility in the issue of the captives,” he says.

“The Israeli enemy is responsible for not reaching an agreement, and we are open to reaching an agreement that secures the regulations we have stipulated.” Israel will not retrieve any of its captives without an agreement, Haniyeh adds.


Two-state solution still viable: Fatah

According to Dalal Salameh, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, the Palestinian leadership (which includes the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian Liberation Organization and Fatah) insists that any political solution to the wider conflict must first ensure a ceasefire is reached in Gaza, as well as a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the besieged coastal enclave.

“All Israeli violations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem must also cease, and a political framework that leads to an end to the occupation must be reached,” she tells Al Jazeera. “This framework must be based on a two-state solution, and this requires coordinating with Arab and regional powers as well as the international community, including the US and the European Union.”

Netanyahu rejects Biden, US policy on Gaza, says most Israelis support him

The Israeli prime minister has fired back at US President Joe Biden’s comments that he is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” through his Gaza policies. He emphasised during an interview with US outlet Politico that criticism from the US president is “wrong” and “false”.

“These are policies supported by the overwhelming majority of the Israelis,” Netanyahu said. “They support the action that we’re taking to support the remaining terrorist battalions of Hamas.” He also said “the last thing” Israel should do is allow the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza after the war, and that “we should resoundingly reject the attempt to ram down our throats a Palestinian state”.

“The majority of Israelis understand that if we don’t do this, what we will have is a repetition of the October 7 massacre, which is bad for Israel, bad for the Palestinians, and bad for the future of peace in the Middle East.”




‘A moral stain that will stay with us for generations’: Israeli rights group

Physicians for Human Rights Israel says that the state of near-famine in Gaza is a result of Israel’s policies. “According to the International Criminal Court, starvation is considered a war crime. Israel must immediately stop all forms of carnage in the Gaza Strip and stop limiting life-saving humanitarian aid. This is a moral stain that will stay with us for generations,” the group says.

In a statement, the Jaffa-based non-profit says that aid airdrops are not sufficient, as Palestinian families resort to animal feed for nourishment or skip meals, leading to acute malnutrition among a large section of the population in the besieged coastal enclave.

The group also refutes Israeli claims that food is entering the Strip in pre-war amounts, “since there is no local production due to the destruction of crops and local bakeries, so the need is much higher”.

Ramadan comes as extreme hunger spreads in Gaza: UNRWA chief

Philippe Lazzarini, who heads the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, says Ramadan is here as “displacement continues, and fear and anxiety prevail amid threats of a military operation on Rafah”, in Gaza’s southernmost point.

“This month should bring a ceasefire for those who have suffered the most. They need respite and peace of mind. It’s long over due,” he says.