Gaza death toll since dawn rises to 54
Sources have told Al Jazeera that the death toll since dawn on Monday in Gaza has risen to 54, during relentless Israeli military attacks.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said Israeli attacks have killed at least 2,459 people and wounded 6,569 others in the territory since Israel broke a ceasefire with Hamas on March 18.
Israel is ‘incapable’ of full Gaza military occupation
Political commentator Ori Goldberg says Israel’s military is not capable of re-occupying Gaza even with the call-up of tens of thousands of reservists.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “politically committed” to seizing the Gaza Strip in the long term, but “I highly doubt we’ll see Israeli forces invading Gaza” permanently, Goldberg told Al Jazeera.
An unnamed senior official has been quoted as saying nothing will be done until US President Donald Trump visits Israel, which is expected next week, he noted.
“And even then, it’s unclear what’s going to happen. Israel is already hemming, hawing, and hedging. Israel is incapable of doing this, and Netanyahu has repeatedly said he doesn’t want to do this.”
However, Goldberg added: “Israel’s government is off the deep end, and there’s no reason to suppose it won’t enjoy the support of the Israeli public as it has done before… [But] Israel is in a complete state of disarray.”
Israel’s military capacity to be impacted as it expands Gaza war
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Caroline Rose, the director of the New Lines Institute, says Israel’s military capabilities will be diminished as it intensifies its war on Gaza while continuing to fight on several other fronts.
“We’ve seen fronts added in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in Syria, even one could argue, against the Houthis in Yemen,” Rose told Al Jazeera.
“This is something that is going to drain not only their active duty forces, but also their reservists. It has already had an impact on the morale of their forces,” said Rose, who spoke shortly after Israel announced it was calling up tens of thousands of more reservists.
“This is something that is going to certainly impact Israel’s operational capacity, particularly given the fact that there does not seem to be an end to any of these fronts,” she said.
Trump confirms trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE next week
The US president has made a statement, confirming his regional visit, which was announced by the White House last month. The US leader is due to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from May 13-15.
Trump’s trip comes as the Israeli army prepares to extend its military assault on Gaza, which remains under a complete blockade.
Another 2 weeks of starvation before anything happens? There isn't any time left.
Houthi-affiliated TV reports more US strikes in Yemen
The Al Masirah network reports that there have been new air strikes on the Ras Isa oil port in Hodeidah and another in the Al-Sawad area of the Sanaa governorate.
The US has conducted near-daily air strikes on Yemen in recent weeks, calling the attacks self-defence in response to Houthi missile strikes on commercial and naval ships. However, a defence official earlier said the US did not participate in Israeli strikes today on Hodeidah.
Nah, they're just taking turns bombing Yemen.... As well as the UK.
