Main events on April 8th
- UN chief Antonio Guterres says Gaza has become “a killing field” as Israeli forces continue bombarding the enclave, killing dozens, including children.
- Israeli officials, accompanied by police officers, have stormed six schools affiliated with UNRWA in occupied East Jerusalem and announced plans to close the facilities.
- Ahmed Mansour, a journalist who suffered severe burns in Monday’s Israeli attack on a media tent near Nasser Hospital in Gaza, has died of his wounds, taking the toll from that assault to at least three.
- Israeli forces have also bombed Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley and Baalbek, claiming it was targeting Hezbollah fighters and an arms depot.
- Israel’s top court has ruled that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot sack the chief of the domestic security agency, Ronen Bar, for at least another 10 days.
- US forces are continuing bombing Yemen, striking an apartment building and killing at least six people, including three children and two women.
Situation in Gaza ‘has reached a critical stage’: UN’s Dujarric
We reported earlier how UN chief Guterres used strong words to attract global attention to catastrophic conditions in Gaza under Israeli siege.
His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, has told Al Jazeera that the situation in Gaza “has reached a critical stage” after Israel has blocked food and all aid from entering the enclave for nearly 40 days.
“Israel, as an occupying power, is obligated to allow aid into Gaza,” he said.
“We must work towards real solutions to allow aid access, such as a ceasefire,” Dujarric said, adding that UN agencies will continue to work in Gaza and talk to Israel about allowing in some humanitarian aid.
UN chief says Palestinians in Gaza in ‘death loop’, demands end to blockade
Gaza’s civilians are caught in an “endless death loop” amid Israeli attacks and a blockade imposed on the war-torn territory, which has prevented the entry of much-needed aid for 2.3 million people for more than a month, the UN’s secretary-general said.
Antonio Guterres said Israeli forces are continuing to seal vital border crossings into Gaza, barring the entry of everything from food to medical supplies and fuel.
“As aid has dried up, the floodgates of horror have reopened. Gaza is a killing field – and civilians are in an endless death loop,” he said.
Children among victims of US strikes on Yemen
At least three children and two women were among those killed in the US air strikes on Hodeidah, which we reported on earlier.
At least six people have been confirmed killed and 16 wounded so far, with Houthi-affiliated media reporting that the death toll could still rise as civil defence crews are working to remove rubble.
Graphic videos from the site of the attack show a destroyed apartment building and blood on the street as ambulance crews rush victims to hospital.
There have also been initial reports of more US air strikes hitting the capital, Sanaa.
Translation: Blatant American aggression targeted with several raids the residential city of Amin Moqbel in the al-Hawak district, Hodeidah governorate. Most of them were civilians.
