UN envoy questions why more journalists are not speaking out on Gaza

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, has welcomed a letter by French journalist organisations this week expressing support for their Palestinian colleagues in Gaza.

But she also questioned “what it takes for other journalists to stand against the slaughter of their colleagues”.

According to a tally by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 175 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon and Israel since the Gaza war began in October 2023. Palestinian media has put the figure at 210.

In their letter, published in Le Monde on Tuesday, the French journalists’ groups said evidence suggests that journalists have been “deliberately targeted by the Israeli army” in Gaza.

“For all human rights defenders, one observation is clear: The Israeli army is imposing a media blackout on Gaza to silence, as much as possible, the witnesses of the war crimes committed by its troops, as an increasing number of international NGOs and UN bodies label them as genocidal acts,” they said.

🌐French journalists stand in solidarity with the hundreds of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza by Israel to prevent reporting on the genocide.

I wonder what it takes for other journalists to stand against the slaughtering of their colleagues. pic.twitter.com/8AQZ8IjmwI

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) April 16, 2025

Journalists rally in Paris in solidarity with Palestinian colleagues

Journalists are taking part in a demonstration in the French capital to show support for their Palestinian colleagues under Israeli attack in Gaza.

Reporting from the rally, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra noted that this is the first time French media organisations have come together to address “the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza”.

“They say it is too little too late, but still, this is a message they would like to send to the international community – on the need to end the war in Gaza and provide a dignified protection for the journalists in Gaza,” Ahelbarra said.

The demonstrators are also calling on Israel to allow international media organisations into Gaza to report on Israel’s continued bombardment.

As we reported earlier, several media groups in France signed an open letter this week expressing solidarity with Palestinian journalists in Gaza. In addition to the rally in Paris, another demonstration is scheduled this evening in France’s southern port city of Marseille.


_{Paris protesters hold ‘die-in’ for Gaza journalists}

US Muslim group denounces Palestinian journalist’s killing

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has urged US and other international media to speak out against the killing of Palestinian journalist Fatima Hassouneh in Gaza.

As we reported earlier, Hassouneh was killed alongside 10 members of her family in an Israeli air strike that targeted their home in Gaza City.

“American and international media must speak out about Israel’s murder of Fatima Hassouneh and of so many other Palestinian journalists,” CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said in a statement.

“Media silence on this issue sends the dangerous message that Palestinian journalists may be murdered at will by the far-right Israeli government as it seeks to eliminate those who tell the world about its crimes against humanity in Gaza.”

Al Jazeera compiles and uncovers potential Israeli war crimes

Eighteen months into Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, more than 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been confirmed killed. At least 10,000 more are missing, buried under the rubble and presumed dead.

The Al Jazeera Investigative Unit’s feature documentary GAZA exposes Israeli war crimes through the use of videos and photographs posted online by Israeli soldiers.

Here, we present the database that lies behind that film, described by international law expert Rodney Dixon as “a treasure trove you very seldom come across, … something which I think prosecutors will be licking their lips at.”

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2025/4/16/israeli-soldiers-filmed-themselves-destroying-gaza-see-the-video-evidence

Preview: (Page 1 of 25)

	Destruction	School burning	An Israeli sergeant states: "Next year we’ll burn the school and beat up all the teachers, too. Ah, it’s so much fun to watch schools burn in Gaza. May they die all these trash terrorists. Whores."	Source
	Destruction	Blowing up university	A university and other buildings are blown up. Laughter and music can be heard.	Source
	Destruction	Neighbourhood explosion	Two giant explosions show the blowing up of entire neighbourhoods for a buffer zone the Israel military is working on. The soldier writes: "What a difficult time we are going through from the first moments that this war with the seed of Amalek enemies of Israel started and until today."	Source
	Destruction	Soldiers destroy shop	Israeli soldiers destroy a shop for entertainment.	Source
	Destruction	Apartments destroyed	A soldier posts the blowing up and destruction of three two-storey buildings in Gaza, leaving six families homeless.	Source
	Destruction	Explosion dedicated to fallen soldiers	Chaim Malespin, an American expatriate and founder and director of pro-settlement group, the Aliyah Return Center, dedicates an explosion to fallen soldiers and "for Purim" (a Jewish holiday).	Source
	Destruction	Mosque blown up	Israeli soldier, Noam Peretz, posted a video of Hassan al-Banna Mosque in Khan Younis being blown up on his Instagram.	Source
	Destruction	Institution blown up	Footage depicting a building being blown up.	Source
	Destruction	Neighbourhood blown up	An Israeli soldier detonates a mine-clearing line charge in a village in the Juhor ad-Dik area, northern Gaza.	Source
	Destruction	Torching homes	An Israeli soldier torches a home.	Source

Blocking Gaza aid ‘clear example of genocidal intent’

Lara Elborno, an international lawyer, explains that Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid to Gaza “is an example of collective punishment, which is absolutely prohibited under international law”.

“It’s also a clear example of genocidal intent and genocidal action,” Elborno told Al Jazeera, adding that “genocide is about the creation of conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of a group of people, in whole or in part”.

“And clearly, depriving a displaced population, which has been bombarded almost daily for the last 18 months, of food, water, medicine, and shelter cannot be framed in any other way than a policy designed to destroy the Palestinian people’s chance at life.”

ICC asks Hungary for info on failure to arrest Netanyahu

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has requested submissions from Hungary over its decision not to carry out an arrest warrant during the Israeli prime minister’s visit to the European country earlier this month.

The ICC said it sent Hungary a “request for the provisional arrest” of Netanyahu on April 3.

Last year, the court issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, over their role in alleged war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.

Hungary’s PM Viktor Orban, a close ally of Netanyahu, had rejected the ICC warrants. He said this month that his government planned to withdraw from the international tribunal over its stance towards Israel.

The ICC gave Hungary until May 23 to provide submissions in the proceedings, which have been launched under article 78(7) of the Rome Statute that governs the court.

May 23? No rush. Fucking useless courts. The ICC should be issuing arrest warrants for Ben G'Vir, Katz, Trump, Biden and so on.

At least 15 killed after Israeli forces bomb tents in southern Gaza

At least 15 people, most of them women and children, have been killed after an Israeli strike on tents for displaced Palestinians in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, Gaza’s civil defence said. The bombing caused fires in the area, leading to people also being burned, it added.

Six more killed in Israeli attacks on tents in Gaza

Our colleagues on the ground are reporting more Israeli assaults on tents housing displaced people in Gaza, this time in Beit Lahiya. At least six Palestinians from one family were killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted a tent.

US special envoy says Hamas should unilaterally release captives

President Trump’s special envoy for hostage negotiations, Adam Boehler, says a “comprehensive” ceasefire deal in Gaza will be possible only once the Israeli captives are released.

“What’s very important now is to retain and bring back all hostages, all innocent hostages, and then we can talk about the makings of the deal,” Boehler told Al Jazeera.

Appearing to contradict earlier statements from Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who said Israel plans to retain a military presence in Gaza regardless of any agreement, Boehler said he didn’t think “Israel is interested in staying for the long-term”.

“Hamas needs to release the hostages. It’s very hard to create a deal if Hamas is holding hostages. They should release the hostages,” he said.

Trump has said “nothing goes forward until all hostages are released”, Boehler added.

“So that’s how we’re following: Step one is all hostages released. Step two is let’s figure out this day after.”

Trump has called for Palestinians to be forced out of Gaza in order to turn the enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East” – a push rejected by Palestinians and that rights groups say would amount to ethnic cleansing.

Main events on April 16th

• Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed at least 35 people over the past day, including 15 people – mostly women and children – in a strike on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in al-Mawasi in the south.
• Palestinian journalist Fatima Hassouneh and 10 members of her family were also killed by an Israeli air strike targeting their home in Gaza City in the north.
• US military attacks on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen have continued, with one person killed in an air raid targeting a residential neighbourhood in the capital Sanaa, according to local media.
• The Israeli military has shot and killed two Palestinians, including a 19-year-old,  southeast of Jenin in the occupied West Bank and is withholding their bodies.
• Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said Israel will continue to block any humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, in a tactic rights groups have described as a war crime.
• Katz also said Israeli troops will remain in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria indefinitely, as the military tightens its grip on several occupied territories.

_{Palestinians at the site of an Israeli air strike on tents sheltering displaced people, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on April 16}


Israeli military ‘unleashed huge series of air strikes’ on tent shelters in Gaza

There has been a clear surge of military activity since the early hours of this morning until now. The sound of drones is quite unmistakable.

The Israeli military has unleashed a huge series of air strikes that targeted makeshift tents in the city of Khan Younis and civilian gatherings in Deir el-Balah, and more distressing reports coming from the northern parts of Gaza.

Constant bombardment could be overheard in the eastern areas of the Strip, which also witnessed the shooting of illumination flares in order to give clear visibility for Israeli ground forces there in the eastern areas of Gaza City.


_{Palestinian emergency workers try to extinguish the flames after an Israeli air strike on tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, late on Wednesday night}

Israel’s FM ‘cut short’ UK visit due to arrest warrant

Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) says Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had cut short his visit to the UK, a day after rights groups formally submitted a request to apply for his arrest warrant.

“He is a suspect in a live investigation of serious crimes. If seen contact the London Met Police immediately,” the group said on X.

The UK-based GLAN as well as the Hind Rajab Foundation had reportedly submitted a request for an arrest warrant for Saar.

https://x.com/GLAN_LAW/status/1912621979359657993

Israeli defence minister confirms ‘annexation’ plan for Gaza

The Israeli minister of defence basically affirmed that annexation was part of Israel’s military strategy and he said it’s not just in Gaza. It’s in Lebanon. It’s in Syria. Israeli troops will stay indefinitely in so-called security zones, or buffer zones that are created on someone else’s land.

One could also make the argument that the same it being done in Tulkarem and Jenin in the occupied West Bank, where the troops have also been ordered to stay indefinitely after destroying the refugee camps there.

Another thing that the Israeli defence minister said is that the Israeli policy of starvation is official and it will continue. Israel will not allow humanitarian assistance to come into Gaza. It will not allow UN humanitarian organisations to distribute food, despite warnings that full-fledged famine is about to set in.

And Israel also said that it wants to institute, at some point, some sort of different mechanism where it can decide who would receive humanitarian aid. Already we have heard from the United Nations that this is something that cannot be acceptable.

I’ve talked to some of my sources in UN agencies who say Israel wants to vet the beneficiaries, people who would be receiving that aid and to decide ahead of time if they can receive it or not. They said they simply cannot take part in that.

But that is basically where we are at. This is the official Israeli policy: no food, no water, no aid for Gaza, while Israel takes more and more of the territory’s land.

Only enough food in Gaza to last another month: Report

We have been reporting on Wednesday’s comments by Defence Minister Israel Katz, who said the Israeli military will continue to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza in order to pressure Hamas to surrender.

Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, citing unnamed defence establishment figures, now reports that Gaza only has enough food to last a month.

Israeli Knesset member joins hundreds of settlers in storming Al-Aqsa Mosque

A hardline member of the Israeli parliament (Knesset) is reported to have joined the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem by Israeli settlers that we reported on earlier.

The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said at least 1,650 Israeli settlers entered Islam’s third-holiest site under the protection of Israeli police.

According to the statement, Knesset member Zvi Sukkot, from the far-right Religious Zionist Party, also forced his way into the flashpoint site and performed a religious ritual called an “epic prostration”, drawing praise from Israel’s recently reappointed national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.


_{A drone view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound}


Palestinian foreign ministry says Ben-Gvir’s statements point to Israeli plans for Jerusalem

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said that Israel’s recently reappointed National Security Minister Ben-Gvir’s continuous calls for settlers to intensify their raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque constitute further evidence of a plan to “change the legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem”.

The ministry warned this included “attempts to separate it from its Palestinian surroundings and impose a new reality”, including building a synagogue in place of the mosque, which is Islam’s third-holiest site.

“This requires a firm and urgent international response,” it added, stressing that the escalating tensions should be dealt “with utmost seriousness”.

The statement comes hours after hundreds of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque. Some performed a religious ritual called an “epic prostration”, drawing praise from Ben-Gvir.

Palestinians mark prisoner’s day with solidarity marches

Palestinians mark Prisoner’s Day on April 17 each year. Human rights organisations warn that Palestinian detainees are subject to some of the worst conditions in Israeli prisons.

They aren’t allowed visits from family, lawyers or doctors, and former detainees tell of torture, abuse and starvation by Israeli prison authorities.

Israeli prison system designed to crush Palestinian resilience

Held annually on April 17, Palestinian Prisoner’s Day is a national day dedicated to the freedom of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and support for their rights.

This year, Palestinian Prisoner’s Day – which is typically marked by rallies and other events – comes as Israel continues to crack down on Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, amid its war on the Gaza Strip.

According to Addameer, a Palestinian prisoner support and advocacy group, about 10,000 Palestinians were held in Israeli prisons as of April 14.

Ubai Al-Aboudi, director of the Bisan Center for Research and Development, based in Ramallah, occupied West Bank, says the Israeli prison system aims to subjugate the Palestinian people.

More than 3,500 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons without charge or trial

Palestinians are commemorating Prisoner’s Day, a day dedicated to the thousands of detainees held in Israeli jails. Many former detainees say they have been subjected to systematic torture, abuse and starvation by Israeli prison authorities.

Prisoners’ rights organisation Addameer says roughly two in five Palestinian men have been arrested and nearly 10,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons. Out of those, approximately 400 are children and 27 are women.

Additionally, 3,500 are under administrative detention and held without charge or trial.

Since October 2023, Israel has banned humanitarian visits, making it harder to assess conditions and exact prisoner numbers.

PIJ accuses international community of ‘double standard’ towards Palestinian prisoners

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has called out what it says is the “clear and shameless double standard” of those demanding the release of Israeli captives in Gaza but staying silent as thousands of Palestinians languish in Israel’s jails, including women and children.

In a statement marking Palestinian Prisoners’ Day today, PIJ said the “international community is tarnished by its silence regarding the suffering of tens of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, which has continued for decades”.

Of the nearly 10,000 Palestinians that support groups say are held in Israeli prisons, 3,498 are held without charge or trial under what’s known as “administrative detention”.

PIJ said that 400 children and almost 30 women are among those held, while some 2,000 people from Gaza have been arrested by Israeli forces since October 7, 2023 and that 63 prisoners have died in Israeli jails from medical negligence and torture.

According to PIJ, the October 7 attacks on Israel were launched “primarily to impose a genuine prisoner exchange deal that would free prisoners from the occupation’s prisons and alleviate the suffering of our people”.

“Their liberation has become an unwavering goal in the battle for dignity and freedom,” it said.

Why has Israel imprisoned 10,000 Palestinians?

On April 17 every year, Palestinian Prisoners’ Day is commemorated to highlight the plight of those held in Israeli jails and their struggle for freedom against Israel’s continued occupation of their land.

The day marks the 1974 release of Mahmoud Bakr Hijazi, the first Palestinian freed in a prisoner swap with Israel. It was later designated to honour all Palestinian prisoners and highlight Israel’s ongoing detention of Palestinians and violations of their rights.

There are currently nearly 10,000 Palestinians held in jails in Israel and the occupied territory, according to prisoners’ rights group Addameer. To Palestinians, they are political prisoners who must be freed.

Read everything you need to know on why tens of thousands of Palestinians have been imprisoned by Israeli forces here.