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Live blog: Israel will invade Rafah and return to Khan Younis — minister
Israel’s war on besieged Palestinians of Gaza — now in its 188th day — has killed at least 33,360 Palestinians and wounded 75,993 others as Israel intensifies its attack on the blockaded enclave on the first day of Eid al Fitr.
Relatives of a Palestinian mourn over the grave of their beloved one, at the cemetery after the Eid al-Fitr prayer as Israeli attacks continue in Rafah / Photo: AA
AA
Relatives of a Palestinian mourn over the grave of their beloved one, at the cemetery after the Eid al-Fitr prayer as Israeli attacks continue in Rafah / Photo: AA
Thursday, April 11, 2024
0040 GMT — Israel’s war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has claimed without proof that Palestinian resistance group Hamas has been defeated militarily and the Israeli army will invade Rafah and go back to Khan Younis, a local media outlet reported.
“From a military point of view – Hamas is defeated. Its fighters are eliminated or in hiding, and its capabilities (are) crippled,” Gantz said following a meeting of his National Unity party in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, said the Times of Israel.
“We will enter Rafah. We will return to Khan Younis. And we will operate in Gaza. Wherever there are terrorist targets,” he added.
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0125 GMT — World Central Kitchen says another aid worker gravely wounded in separate Israeli strike in Gaza
World Central Kitchen (WCK) announced that another of its workers was gravely wounded in a separate Israeli air strike in besieged Gaza on April 1.
“Just 15 minutes before our convoy was repeatedly hit, one of our brave Palestinian staff members was gravely injured in a reportedly deadly air strike at Al Bashir Mosque in Deir al Balah,” the food charity said in a statement.
The statement said the worker, whose name is Amro, sustained severe head and hand wounds while he was off duty at a residence near the mosque in the vicinity of the organisation’s warehouse and recently established kitchen in Deir al Balah.
“When he was removed from beneath the rubble, Amro was brought to the same hospital that also received WCK’s fallen heroes. After spending some time in a coma, Amro was airlifted to another hospital where he is recovering, receiving treatment, and getting stronger every day,” the statement said.
0016 GMT — Pro-Palestine activists protest Israeli Knesset speaker’s visit to France
Pro-Palestine activists in France have staged a protest against a visit by Amir Ohana, the speaker of Israel’s Knesset, or parliament, to the Senate in Paris, while the Israeli army continues its attacks on besieged Gaza.
They gathered in front of the Senate, the upper house of the French Parliament, in the capital Paris.
Carrying Palestinian flags as well as banners saying “No to the Israeli perpetrators of genocide in Paris” and “Is it normal to protest to stop a genocide? ” The activists chanted slogans such as “There is a genocide in Gaza. We will not remain silent,” “Long live the resistance of the Palestinian people” and “Stop starving the children of Gaza.”
A sequence of letters forming the words “Stop genocide” on white T-shirts worn by a group of demonstrators standing side by side drew attention.
The protestors said the French Senate, which hosted Ohana, should be ashamed.
2332 GMT — US claims to have conducted humanitarian airdrops into Gaza
The US has conducted another round of humanitarian assistance airdrops into northern Gaza to provide relief to civilians affected by Israel’s brutal war on the besieged enclave.
“The joint operation included four C-130 US Air Force aircraft, and US Army Soldiers specialised in aerial delivery of U.S humanitarian assistance supplies,” the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X.
It said the planes dropped more than 50,680 US meal equivalents.
“To date, the US has dropped approximately 852 tons of humanitarian assistance supplies,” it added.
2249 GMT — Death toll in Israeli strike on Hamas leader’s family rises to 7
The death toll from an Israeli air strike on family members of the head of the political bureau of Hamas has risen to seven, with another grandchild dying as a result of the attack.
The air strike targeted a car in which members of the Haniyeh family were travelling in the Al-Shati camp near Gaza City as they were on their way to a celebration on the first day of the Muslim Eid al Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, killing three of his sons and four of his grandchildren, according to a statement released by the resistance group.
The statement said Haniyeh’s family members lost their lives in a “treacherous and cowardly” attack.
Eyewitnesses said the airstrike effectively destroyed the car, killing or injuring everyone inside.
The statement said those who lost their lives in the attack had stood on the same front as the Palestinian people and had joined the ranks of those from the Haniyeh family who had previously been killed along with those who perished in Operation Al Aqsa Storm.
It added that Israel’s targeting of Hamas leaders and their families is “nothing more than desperate attempts by the failed enemy on the field. It is terrifying in the face of the defence of Palestinian resistance” and offered condolences for the deceased.
2214 GMT — Israel intensifies its attacks on central Gaza on 1st day of Eid al Fitr
Israel has intensified its air strikes on the city of Al Zahra in central besieged Gaza on the first day of the Muslim Eid al Fitr holiday.
Israeli warplanes carried out intense air strikes lasting over three hours, targeting towers and residential buildings, an Anadolu Agency correspondent reported.
The army warned residents to leave the city and not return before commencing the attack.
Residents of central Gaza, especially those in the Nuseirat camp and Al Zahra, heard the sounds of violent explosions.
Israeli army vehicles fired intensely in the vicinity of the former Netzarim settlement in central Gaza, which was evacuated during Israel’s 2005 pullout from the territory, with no reported injuries.
2149 GMT — Yemen’s Houthis group say US, UK targeted coastal province of Hudaida
Yemen’s Houthi group said that the coastal province of Hudaida faced seven air strikes from the US and Britain within the space of several hours.
The statement came after the US and Britain carried out four airstrikes on the Jabana area in the province, following three air strikes on the Hudaida International Airport earlier in the day, as reported by the Al Masirah TV, which is affiliated with the Yemeni group.
The channel reported that US and UK aircraft targeted the Jabana area in the province of Hudaida with four airstrikes.
The Houthi-affiliated channel did not specify what damage the air strikes did, if any, and there was no immediate response from the US or Britain to the reports.
For our live updates from Wednesday, April 10, click here.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD AND AGENCIES
