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Schumer’s comments are his, not Biden administration’s: State Department #Israel #Gaza
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/14/israels-war-on-gaza-live-rafah-attack-coming-soon-despite-pressure?update=2772975

The foreign minister, #PennyWong, announced the decision to unfreeze $6m in emergency funding for #UNRWA on Friday, as part of a broader package of support.

Wong also announced that #Australia would support airdrops by #Jordan and the #UnitedArabEmirates. #Israel

Australia reinstates funding to UNRWA to provide aid in #Gaza
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/15/unrwa-funding-australia-reinstates-gaza-aid-october-7-hamas-claims

Mustafa faces a huge task of management and diplomacy. Swathes of #Gaza are now rubble and most of its 2.3 million people have been displaced and need aid. In addition to overseeing billions in expected international aid, Mustafa will need both political buy-in from #Hamas and its supporters and cooperation from #Israel, which wants to eradicate Hamas.

Who is #MohammadMustafa, the new Palestinian PM?
https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/world/who-is-mohammad-mustafa-the-new-palestinian-pm/ar-BB1jUWin

This has got to *stop*. Innocent ship crewmen have already been maimed or killed by these attacks

Their #RedSea attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to take longer and more expensive journeys around southern #Africa, and stoked fears that the #Israel-#Hamas war could spread and destabilise the wider #MiddlEast. #RedSeaCrisis

Merchant vessel struck by missile west of #Yemen's al Hudaydah
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/merchant-vessel-struck-by-missile-west-of-yemen-s-al-hudaydah/ar-BB1jVxqE?ocid=emmx-mmx-feeds&PC=EMMX01

#AFP video footage and photographs showed the Spanish aid vessel visible off #Gaza coast towing a barge which the Spanish charity (#WorldCentralKitchen) operating it says is carrying 200 tonnes of food for #Palestinians threatened with #famine after more than five months of war. #Israel

#MiddleEast crisis live: Spanish aid vessel visible off Gaza coast, say reports
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/15/middle-east-crisis-live-rows-over-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-proposal-israel?page=with:block-65f40c4e8f081c54654f35fe#block-65f40c4e8f081c54654f35fe

Back toot: https://noc.social/@Norobiik/112092971398837893

Why it matters: #Biden's backing of #Schumer's remarks is another sign of the growing divide between the president and #Netanyahu over the war in #Gaza, and will likely give backwind to other #Democrats to publicly criticize the Israeli government more forcefully. #Israel #Gaza #Netanyahu

Biden backs Schumer's criticism of Bibi
https://www.axios.com/2024/03/15/biden-schumer-israel-netanyahu-speech

Back toot: https://noc.social/@Norobiik/112095622476980515

Images and videos have been coming through #WorldCentralKitchen offloading food aid to #Gaza on Thursday as part of WCK’s #OperationSafeena (boat in Arabic).

The WCK is expected to deliver 37 million meals to Gaza where about 2 million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced by Israeli attacks across the narrow strip. #Israel

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/15/middle-east-crisis-live-rows-over-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-proposal-israel?page=with:block-65f4758e8f08d86e4257d894#block-65f4758e8f08d86e4257d894

Back toot: https://noc.social/@Norobiik/112099673978056555

The chaos in the #RedSea due to the #Israel-#Gaza war has spread further.
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An Indian navy warship has intercepted the hijacked cargo ship #MVRuen and demanded the #SomaliPirates on board surrender, a navy spokesperson said on Saturday.

Until the Ruen was seized, there had been no successful hijacking of a merchant ship by Somali pirates since 2017. #India #Somalia #GulfOfAden

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/indian-navy-intercepts-somali-pirates-on-cargo-ship-ruen/ar-BB1k0iBD?ocid=emmx-mmx-feeds&PC=EMMX01

Happy ending for this one. No one killed, thank god. #India #GulfofAden #IndianOcean #Somalia #SomaliPirates #Israel #Gaza

The #IndianNavy has freed the hijacked ship #MVRuen and detained 35 #pirates

Back toot: https://noc.social/@Norobiik/112105794300113403

The #MVAbdullah, which had 23 crew members and was transporting coal, was on its way to the #UAE from #Mozambique when pirates in the #IndianOcean captured it on Tuesday.The MV's location changed on Thursday after it anchored approximately seven nautical miles off the coast of Garacad, #Somalia. #Bangladesh #GulfOfAden #Israel #Gaza #SomaliPirates

Anchored in hope: Govt promises swift action to save MV Abdullah, crew
https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/274169882/anchored-in-hope-govt-promises-swift-action-to-save-mv-abdullah-crew?utm_source=bignewsnetwork&utm_medium=referral

Back toot: https://noc.social/@Norobiik/112108377828088574

Sources close to #Hamas said its leaders now recognise that they need to show #Palestinians “a big victory” to avoid a popular backlash after the immense destruction and loss of lives in five months of war.

“They know now that they need to demonstrate that they are really on the side of the people,” said one source.

#GazaCeasefire hopes rise after Hamas abandons key demands | #Israel-#Gaza war
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/16/gaza-ceasefire-hopes-rise-after-hamas-abandons-key-demands

“It’s like we are stuck in 6 October, but with the pictures from 7 October in our mind,” Shita said. “We were naive, or maybe it was hubris … They took everything we thought about reality and shook it.” #Lebanon #Gaza

‘I can’t drink my coffee and see the #Hezbollah flag’: calls for a wider war on #Israel’s border
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/17/calls-wider-war-israel-border-hezbollah

The nuances reflect the tightrope the #US is still trying to walk, seeking to claw back leadership on the issue at the #UN, while keeping pressure on #Hamas to agree a limited deal that would exchange 40 of the most vulnerable hostages for a six-week pause.

The US finally backs a ceasefire, but the nuances in its UN resolution show the tightrope it walks | #Israel-#Gaza war
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/21/us-un-ceasefire-gaza

Representatives of the Yemeni #Houthi movement have engaged in discussions with Russian and Chinese diplomats to secure safe passage for their fleets through the #RedSea. The agreement entails that the #Houthis ensure their ships will not be targeted for attacks. #Israel #Gaza

Houthi rebels negotiate safe Red Sea passage with #Russia and #China
https://essanews.com/houthi-rebels-negotiate-safe-red-sea-passage-with-russia-and-china,7008404510406273a

#US Secretary of State #AntonyBlinken landed in #Israel Friday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu, ahead of a #UNSecurityCouncil vote on a US draft resolution noting the need for an "immediate" #ceasefire that would allow in more aid.

Blinken in Israel ahead of #UN vote on #GazaCeasefire plan
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240322-blinken-heads-to-israel-to-press-for-immediate-truce-in-gaza-war

A #US effort to ramp up political pressure on #Israel by casting an international spotlight on its concerns failed Friday in the #UnitedNations #SecurityCouncil when #Russia, #China and #Algeria voted against it.

US-sponsored #UN resolution calling for immediate cease-fire in #Gaza fails
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-set-introduce-resolution-calling-immediate-cease-fire/story?id=108360065

#UN #SecurityCouncil passes resolution calling for #ceasefire in #Gaza after #US abstains. #Israel

For the first time the UN security council has voted for a call for a ceasefire in Gaza, after the US abstained, rather than using its veto as it has done on previous occasions. #Russia and #China have also previously vetoed texts.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/25/israel-gaza-live-unrwa-aid-north-gaza-un-security-council-vote-ceasefire-middle-east-latest?page=with:block-66018d788f0806e0c1f1cce6#block-66018d788f0806e0c1f1cce6

The #US abstained and the 14 other council members all voted in favour of the #SecurityCouncil #ceasefire resolution, put forward by the 10 elected council members who voiced their frustration with more than five months of deadlock between the major powers. Applause broke out in the chamber after the vote.

#Israel isolated as #UN security council demands immediate ceasefire in #Gaza | #UnitedNations
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/25/un-gaza-ceasefire-vote

In the #Hebrew-language newspaper Ma’ariv, #BenCaspit described the approach of the Israeli prime minister as “delusional”, “madness” and “terrifying”, adding: “This man is putting us all at risk: our future, our children’s future, the strategic alliance that is the keystone of Israeli national security.” #Israel #Gaza

‘Madness’: #Netanyahu’s handling of #US relations under scrutiny after #UN vote
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/26/benjamin-netanyahu-handling-us-relations-un-israel-gaza-ceasefire-vote

Announcing the move, Foreign Minister #MichealMartin said that while it was for the #WorldCourt to decide whether #genocide is being committed, he wanted to be clear that #Hamas' Oct. 7 attack and what is happening in #Gaza now "represents the blatant violation of international #HumanitarianLaw on a mass scale."

#Ireland to intervene in #SouthAfrica genocide case against #Israel
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ireland-to-intervene-in-south-africa-genocide-case-against-israel/ar-BB1kDyWr?ocid=emmx-mmx-feeds&PC=EMMX01

#Corsight, a Tel Aviv-based company, built the tool to identify #Hamas members. But officers say it’s often inaccurate. #Israel #Gaza

#Israel quietly rolled out a mass #FacialRecognition program in the #GazaStrip
https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/27/24114043/israel-facial-recognition-gaza-strip-corsight

A panel of judges at the #UN’s top court, which is already considering a complaint from #SouthAfrica that #Israel is committing #genocide in the #Palestinian territory, issued the ruling after an emergency measure in January obliging Israel to admit emergency aid. Under international law, using starvation as a weapon of war is explicitly prohibited

‘#Famine is setting in’: UN court orders Israel to unblock Gaza food aid
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/28/famine-is-setting-in-icj-orders-israel-to-unblock-gaza-food-aid

#Lazzarini told Switzerland’s Keystone-ATS news agency on Tuesday that #UNRWA had secured funding until the end of May after previously warning the agency could be forced to halt operations in March. #Israel #Gaza

#Japan to resume funding to #UNRWA, following #Sweden, #Finland and #Canada
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/3/29/japan-to-resume-funding-to-unrwa-following-sweden-finland-and-canada

“If the families knew how small the gap is, which #Netanyahu is refusing to close in negotiations with #Hamas, they would explode,” said #AmosMalka, a former head of the #IsraelDefenseForces’ military intelligence directorate who was among the speakers at the rally in #TelAviv. “This is more evidence of his unsuitability to serve.”

Thousands of Israeli protesters call for Netanyahu’s removal | #Israel
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/31/israeli-protesters-call-benjamin-netanyahu-removal

The investigation determined that a colonel had authorized the series of deadly #DroneStrikes on the convoy based on one major’s observation — from grainy drone-camera footage — that someone in the convoy was armed. That observation turned out to be untrue. #WorldCentralKitchen #Gaza

#MiddleEast crisis live: #Israel military sacks two senior officers over killing of aid workers and says strikes were ‘a tragedy’
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/apr/05/middle-east-crisis-live-us-welcomes-israeli-plan-to-reopen-erez-crossing-for-gaza-aid?page=with%3Ablock-660fd4c98f089f4ce52084a3#block-660fd4c98f089f4ce52084a3

“Let’s be very clear. This is tragic, but it is not an anomaly,” #ScottPaul, of the humanitarian group #Oxfam, “The killing of aid workers in #Gaza has been systemic.”

The killing of the #AidWorkers, all of whom worked for #WorldCentralKitchen, were condemned by #Israel’s closest allies and renewed criticism of Israel’s conduct in the nearly 6-month-old war with #Hamas.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/apr/05/middle-east-crisis-live-us-welcomes-israeli-plan-to-reopen-erez-crossing-for-gaza-aid?page=with:block-660fd57e8f08fd57229db376#block-660fd57e8f08fd57229db376

#Iran warned of harsh retaliation, raising the spectre of a wider war and prompting the Israeli armed forces to suspend leave for all combat units on Thursday, a day after they said they were mobilising more troops for air defence units. #Israel #Gaza #Syria

Iran vows to punish Israel at funeral for officers killed in #EmbassyStrike
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/iran-vows-to-punish-israel-at-funeral-for-officers-killed-in-embassy-strike/ar-BB1l7lPB?ocid=emmx-mmx-feeds&PC=EMMX01

This year's #Eurovision istaking place in #Malmö, an international city with a young and diverse population (around a third of which was born outside #Sweden) and a strong #PalestinianCommunity- many of whom have been attending regular protests against the #Gaza invasion by #Israel.

‘We are not the arena to solve a #MiddleEast conflict’: Sweden braced for a politically charged Eurovision
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/apr/07/eurovision-sweden-middle-east-conflict-israel

Organisers said about 100,000 people converged at a #TelAviv crossroads and were later joined by families of #GazaHostages. #Israel

Tens of thousands of Israelis rally against #Netanyahu as #Gaza war reaches six month mark
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/07/tens-of-thousands-of-israelis-rally-against-netanyahu-as-gaza-war-reaches-six-month-mark

Finally. Maybe the tragic and completely unnecessary deaths of 7 #WCK #AidWorkers will not have been in vain.
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He promised to “streamline #SecurityChecks” that aid organisations have blamed for choking the flow of assistance to the territory’s more than 2 million people through six months of war. #Israel

“We plan to flood #Gaza with aid and we are expecting to reach 500 trucks per day,” Gallant told reporters in Tel Aviv.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/4/11/israels-war-on-gaza-live-hamas-says-netanyahu-hindering-ceasefire-chances?update=2829671

"Another refugee crisis from #Gaza into #Egypt, I can assure you... would make the resolution of the #Palestinian refugee question as a consequence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible," Grandi told Reuters at #UNHCR headquarters in #Geneva. #Israel

UN refugee chief says outflow of Gazans into Egypt would make conflict resolution impossible
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/un-refugee-chief-says-outflow-of-gazans-into-egypt-would-make-conflict-resolution-impossible/ar-BB1lvYqG?ocid=emmx-mmx-feeds&PC=EMMX01

Israeli newspaper #YediothAhronoth reported Thursday that #Indonesia had agreed to normalise its ties with #Israel. The media outlet said #Jakarta needed Israel to approve its request to join the #OECD.

The #TimesOfIsrael, confirmed the report, citing an Israeli official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about Indonesia’s possible normalisation of ties with Israel. #Gaza #TootSEA

Indonesia denies reports about normalising ties with Israel to join the OECD
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/indonesia-denies-reports-about-normalising-ties-with-israel-to-join-the-oecd

#Israel has won battle after battle against #Hamas, but its central aims in #Gaza remain unfinished. WSJ’s #ShayndiRaice explains how Israel is on a path to lose the war.

Israel Faces the Prospect of Losing the War in Gaza | Watch
https://www.wsj.com/video/series/on-the-news/israel-faces-the-prospect-of-losing-the-war-in-gaza/99DF6C84-3C3F-41D0-8D96-FBDB8CB4E6ED

Few members of the organisation’s top echelons have been harmed so far and much of its extensive #TunnelNetwork remains intact. However, the organisation’s ability to effectively #govern is much reduced, its #MilitaryStores are depleted, and thousands of #fighters are dead.

#Hamas weakened and divided but far from defeated six months into #GazaWar | #Israel #Gaza
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/13/hamas-six-months-gaza-war-israel

If it's Sunday in your part of the world, this is probably the best time to pray for peace in the #MiddleEast. What happens next will affect us all
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Islamic Republic’s first ever direct attack on Jewish state threatens to drag #MiddleEast into regional conflagration.

#Israel under fire as #Iran launches #drones and #CruiseMissiles
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/13/israel-under-fire-as-iran-launches-extensive-drone-strikes

A hastily assembled coalition including the #US and #UK has helped #Israel shoot down Iranian drones over #Jordan, #Iraq and #Syria in an effort to blunt the attack and prevent an uncontrollable escalation.

Jordanian jets had also downed dozens of Iranian drones flying across northern and central Jordan heading towards Israel.

US and UK forces help shoot down Iranian drones over Jordan, Syria and Iraq | #Israel
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/14/us-and-uk-forces-help-shoot-down-iranian-drones-over-jordan-syria-and-iraq