Al Mayadeen – April 30, 2024
New ceasefire proposal includes retreat in Israeli position
By Al Mayadeen
A well-informed Palestinian source tells Al Mayadeen that Hamas' adherence to its demands forced "Israel" to draw back on matters concerning the ceasefire.
The document presented to the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas over a new ceasefire proposal in Gaza included positive points and a retreat in the Israeli position, a well-informed Palestinian source told Al Mayadeen on Tuesday.
The source said that Hamas still needs to verify key issues, especially regarding the ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip.
In addition, the are still contentious points concerning the prisoners' file, which requires more time to reach an agreement, particularly regarding their numbers and categories.
According to the source, Hamas' adherence to its previous demands forced the Israeli occupation to draw back on matters concerning the ceasefire, the withdrawal from Gaza, and the return of forcibly displaced people to their homes.
The source told Al Mayadeen that the movement is still studying the new proposal after the return of its delegation from the Egyptian capital Cairo and is engaged in intense consultations, adding that Hamas is maintaining constant communication with the Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
It can be said that the negotiations' atmosphere is better than before, and there is a retreat in the Israeli stance regarding the withdrawal from Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians, the source concluded.
'Israel' claims open to talks on Gaza calm post-captive release: Axios
A new Israeli proposal for a potential captive deal with Hamas involves a "willingness" to discuss the "restoration of sustainable calm" in the Gaza Strip following an initial release of captives on humanitarian grounds, Axios reported two days ago, citing Israeli officials.
According to Axios, this marks the first instance since October 7 that Israeli leaders have signaled their willingness to discuss ending the aggression on Gaza as part of negotiations for a captives deal. Hamas has consistently made ending the war a focal point of its proposals in recent months during these negotiations.
After the talks concluded, Israeli officials indicated that the Egyptians presented a new proposal to Hamas indicating "Israel's willingness to make further significant concessions," the news website mentioned.
Axios cited the Israeli officials as saying the new proposal was developed collaboratively by the Egyptian intelligence delegation and the Israeli negotiation team, considering the positions articulated by Hamas thus far and the potential terms both "Israel" and Egypt believe the Palestinian Resistance group might accept in a deal.
Day 207 of Israeli aggression: 34,535 killed, 77,704 injured in Gaza
The situation in Gaza remains dire as the Israeli military aggression persists into the 207th day. In the past 24 hours alone, five massacres have resulted in the loss of 47 lives and left 61 others injured.
Over the past 24 hours, the Gaza Strip Ministry of Health records five massacres committed by the IOF targeting families in Gaza, resulting in 47 martyrs and the hospitalization of 61 injured individuals.
Tragically, there are still victims trapped under rubble and in inaccessible areas where ambulance and civil defense crews are either unable to or barred from reaching.
The overall toll of the Israeli aggression has now reached a staggering 34,535 martyrs and 77,704 injuries since the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
In light of this devastating situation, families of martyrs and individuals martyred or missing due to the war in Gaza are urged to ensure that their information is complete by registering through the Ministry as it will help in fulfilling all necessary data requirements.
10,000 missing under rubble in Gaza Strip: Gaza Civil Defense
The General Directorate of Civil Defense estimated that there are more than ten thousand missing people who are still under the rubble of hundreds of destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip since the start of the aggression on the Strip.
"We estimate that there are over 10,000 missing people under the rubble of hundreds of destroyed homes since the start of the (Israeli) aggression," a statement by the Civil Defense said on Tuesday.
Competent crews have not been able to recover their bodies, it stressed, highlighting the dire situation.
In its statement, the Directorate stressed that these missing people are not included in the statistics of martyrs issued by the Ministry of Health because the bodies were not recorded in hospitals, therefore the number of martyrs exceeds more than 44,000.
It stressed that the crews continue to carry out their humanitarian duty toward the Palestinian people amid the genocide in the Gaza Strip for more than 200 days, despite the huge difficulties they are facing in terms of the lack of equipment, vehicles, and mechanisms necessary to look for the missing under the rubble.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/day-207--34-535-martyred-and-77-704-injured
Mass Grave Discovered At Hospital In Gaza's Khan Younis, With Nearly 200 Bodies
Palestinian civil defense crews have uncovered a mass grave inside the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza's Khan Younis, with 180 bodies recovered so far, Al Jazeera has learnt, as Israel has continued bombardment of the devastated coastal enclave for more than six months.
The discovery on Saturday, and continuing into Sunday, comes after the Israeli military withdrew its troops from the southern city on April 7.
Much of the Khan Younis is now in ruins after months of relentless Israeli bombardment and heavy fighting.
The Doha-based broadcaster further reported that in the hospital courtyard, civil defence members and paramedics have retrieved 180 bodies buried in this mass grave by the Israeli military.
The bodies include elderly women, children and young men.
Earlier this week, a mass grave was discovered at al-Shifa Hospital following a two-week siege. It was one of several mass graves found at al-Shifa - the largest medical facility in the coastal enclave.
In a related development, a baby girl was delivered from the womb of a Palestinian killed along with her husband and daughter by an Israeli attack in the Gaza city of Rafah, where 19 people died overnight in intensified strikes, Palestinian health officials have said.
The baby, weighing 1.4 kg and delivered in an emergency C-section, was stable and improving gradually, said Mohammed Salama, a doctor caring for her.
Her mother, Sabreen Al Sakani, had been 30 weeks pregnant.
The baby was placed in an incubator in a Rafah hospital alongside another infant, with the words, 'The baby of the martyr Sabreen Al Sakani' written on tape across her chest.
Sakani's young daughter Malak, who was killed in the strike, had wanted to name her new sister Rouh, meaning spirit in Arabic, said her uncle Rami Al Sheikh. 'The little girl Malak was happy that her sister was coming to the world,' he said.
The baby would stay in hospital for three to four weeks, said Salama, the doctor.
Hamas-Fatah meeting in China included talks for temporary government
Palestinian sources told Al Mayadeen that the meeting between Hamas and Fatah in China included talks about the importance of reaching a unified stance among Palestinian factions regarding the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Palestinian sources revealed to Al Mayadeen Tuesday the outcomes of the meeting held between the two Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, in the Chinese capital Beijing.
The sources confirmed that the two factions agreed on the importance of unifying the Palestinian position regarding the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, emphasizing the importance of a ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the Strip.
In this context, the factions further agreed on "coordinating joint national efforts to deliver urgent aid and relief to the sector and to arrange with the relevant parties in Gaza," and forming a joint bilateral committee in Cairo for coordination and follow-up.
According to the sources, the meeting emphasized coordinating positions and efforts in the West Bank and al-Quds to confront settler attacks on villages and towns, as well as Israeli occupation assaults on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The outcomes of the meeting also stressed the priority of the detainees' issue and the necessity to preserve their rights and support them during this difficult phase, where they are subjected to the worst forms of abuse and harm inside Israeli occupation prisons.
A unified Palestinian front was on the agenda
On another note, the sources reported from the meeting that Hamas and Fatah affirmed the necessity of unity and ending the division, "within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization by joining all Palestinian forces and factions within it and its institutions, based on previous agreements in this regard."
The parties also highlighted the importance of forming a non-factional national unity government during or after the genocidal war, tasked with its technical and administrative duties in relief efforts, alleviating the effects of aggression, and rebuilding Gaza.
This government will also work on unifying Palestinian institutions and preparing for general elections, "to strip Israel and America of the pretext of division."
The sources confirmed that the meeting included an agreement to strengthen Palestinian unity with the assistance of China, which "will contribute to ending the occupation and establishing the Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and al-Quds according to international resolutions."
The sources informed Al Mayadeen that the outcomes of the meeting constitute the agenda for the next meeting in Beijing on June 14, 2024.
On their part, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that both sides "expressed political willingness to achieve reconciliation through dialogue," adding that they reached an agreement on ideas for future dialogue, and "they will continue the dialogue to achieve Palestinian unity as soon as possible."
The Ministry affirmed that Hamas and Fatah expressed their great appreciation for China's support for the Palestinian people.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that Beijing hosted talks between Hamas and Fatah at its invitation to conduct "deep and frank dialogue to enhance Palestinian reconciliation." Furthermore, the Ministry affirmed that Hamas and Fatah expressed deep appreciation for China's support for the Palestinian people.
It also announced that Beijing hosted talks between Hamas and Fatah at its invitation to conduct a "deep and candid dialogue to enhance Palestinian reconciliation."
World Socialist Web Site – April 30, 2024
US condemns International Criminal Court investigation of Israeli war criminals
by Andre Damon
The Biden administration Monday condemned an ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of senior Israeli figures who masterminded the Gaza genocide.
Israeli media sources reported in recent days that ICC arrest warrants could be imminently issued against Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We’ve been really clear about the ICC investigation. We do not support it. We don’t believe that they have the jurisdiction,” said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel reiterated these points, declaring, “Our position is clear. We continue to believe that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over the Palestinian situation.”
The White House was joined by leading congressional Republicans. Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson said an ICC arrest warrant for Israeli officials “would directly undermine US national security interests. If unchallenged by the Biden administration, the ICC could create and assume unprecedented power to issue arrest warrants against American political leaders, American diplomats, and American military personnel.”
The United States, the world’s leading perpetrator of war crimes, is not a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court and does not recognize its authority to prosecute US war crimes or those of Israel, its proxy in the Middle East.
On September 2, 2020, the United States government imposed sanctions on the ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, in response to an investigation by the court into US war crimes in Afghanistan.
Despite this, the Biden administration publicly welcomed a war crimes investigation by the ICC against Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.
Asked why the United States supported an International Criminal Court investigation into Russian officials, Patel declared, “There is no moral equivalency between the kinds of things that we see [Russian President Vladimir Putin] and the Kremlin undertake in comparison to the Israeli government.”
Bloomberg and Axios reported that Netanyahu and Biden have discussed measures to obstruct the work of the ICC.
“The Israeli media has revealed that the Israeli government is holding secret meetings, consultations, and conversations with several of its allies, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany, in an attempt to prevent the issuance of … arrest warrants and obstruct the Court’s work on the Palestine case,” the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor noted.
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the ICC, said he was investigating the actions of Israeli forces, adding, “Those who do not comply with the law should not complain later when my office takes action pursuant to its mandate.”
The ICC is separate from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which does not prosecute individuals. In a case brought by South Africa, the ICJ ruled in January that Israel must work to prevent “genocidal acts” in Gaza and prevent Palestinians from being killed.
Following the ICJ’s ruling, tens of thousands of Gazans have been killed or injured in bombings, mass executions and through deliberate starvation.
Although neither Israel nor the US is a member of the ICC or recognize its jurisdiction, Palestine has been a member since 2015.
On Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he was informed of “rumors” that warrants could be issued imminently against Israeli officials.
He added, “If the warrants are issued, they will harm the commanders and soldiers of the IDF and provide a morale boost to the terrorist organization Hamas and the axis of radical Islam led by Iran against which we are fighting.”
Netanyahu declared that Israel “will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense.” He said any prosecution of Israeli officials by the ICC would be “outrageous,” adding, “We will not bow to it.”
In a message targeted at the imperialist backers of the Gaza genocide, Netanyahu declared, “Whereas decisions of the court in The Hague will not affect Israel’s actions, they would set a dangerous precedent threatening the soldiers and officials of any democracy fighting criminal terrorism and aggression.”
In other words, any indictment of Israeli leaders would, in effect, be an indictment of the leaders of the US, the UK, Germany and France.
On Monday, Reuters reported that ICC prosecutors have interviewed medical personnel at Shifa and Nasser hospitals, where Israeli forces reportedly carried out summary executions and dumped bodies in mass graves.
In the weeks since the discovery of the mass graves at the two hospitals, which collectively contain more than 500 bodies, evidence has grown that Israeli forces executed critically ill hospital patients.
In a statement, the Euro-Med Monitor wrote:
The presence of urinary catheters or splints, which were found to be still attached to some of the dead patients’ bodies during the exhumation process, as well as medical files that were buried with them in Al-Shifa Medical Complex, confirm the execution of ill and injured people.
On Monday, US and UK officials claimed that Israel had revised its terms for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, while still repudiating any permanent withdrawal of military forces from the territory.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the proposal “extraordinarily generous,” declaring Hamas to be “the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire.”
Osama Hamdan, a Hamas spokesperson, told Al Jazeera in response, “Stopping the attacks against Palestinians is not generous.”
He added:
It’s clear from the Israeli paper that they are still insisting on two major issues. They don’t want a complete ceasefire and they are not talking, in a serious way, about the withdrawal from Gaza. In fact, they are still talking about their presence… which means that they will keep continuing [occupying] Gaza.
Israel, meanwhile, continued its preparations for an attack on Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, where 1.5 million people are sheltering. Daily bombings on the city continued, including one strike that killed three Palestinians in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
To date, at least 34,488 people have been killed, including more than 14,500 children, with more than 8,000 individuals missing. The number of injured in Gaza is at least 77,643.
On Monday, Middle East Eye reported that Israel is planning on “setting up a complex system of checkpoints that will prevent men of ‘military age’ from fleeing Rafah in preparation for its offensive on the southern Gaza border city.”
It continued:
The checkpoints are designed to allow some women and children to leave Rafah ahead of an expected Israeli offensive, but unarmed, civilian Palestinian men will likely be separated from their families and remain trapped in Rafah during an expected Israeli assault.
Given that Israel has treated areas that it has ordered to evacuate as free-fire zones, it is becoming clear that the looming attack on Rafah will effectively be a mass execution of any who remain in the city.
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