- Netanyahu pushes back against domestic security chief, saying the head of Shin Bet ‘failed miserably’ when Hamas attacked Israel
GAZA: Israeli air strikes in Gaza have killed at least 39 Palestinians during the past 24 hours, taking the death toll from 18 months of onslaught to 51,240, the enclave’s health ministry said.
A ministry statement said that 62 others were admitted to hospitals, taking the number of injuries to 116,931.
At least 28 people have been killed in Israeli raids on Gaza since dawn, with 18 of them killed in attacks on central and southern areas of the Strip, Al Jazeera reports citing medical sources.
Israel’s Netanyahu says security chief ‘failed miserably on October 7’
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed back against his domestic security chief Ronen Bar, saying that the head of Shin Bet “failed miserably” when Hamas attacked Israel, AFP reports.
“Bar confirms the assessment of all government ministers that he failed miserably on October 7th. This reason alone justifies the end of his tenure,” read a lengthy response from Netanyahu in a statement issued by his office after Bar filed an affidavit containing accusations against the long-time premier.
Trump to speak with Netanyahu on hostage deal, Iran, Axios reports
US President Donald Trump is expected to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and captive deal and the nuclear talks with Iran, Reuters reports citing Axios correspondent Barak Ravid.
Arrests made in India for ‘Free Gaza, Free Palestine’ posters: report
Seven people have been arrested in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly putting up “Free Gaza, Free Palestine” posters,* Al Jazeera* reports citing The Times of India, which quotes local police.
“The posters called for a boycott of Israeli goods,” officer Baniyathair Ram Veer Singh was quoted by the newspaper as saying, adding that those arrested were caught with the help of CCTV footage.
Gaza civil defence describes medic killings as ‘summary executions’
Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defence agency has accused the Israeli military of carrying out “summary executions” in the killing of 15 rescue workers last month, rejecting the findings of an internal probe by the army.
“The video filmed by one of the paramedics proves that the Israeli occupation’s narrative is false and demonstrates that it carried out summary executions,” Mohammed Al-Mughair, a civil defence official, told AFP, accusing Israel of seeking to “circumvent” its obligations under international law.
Jordan condemns Israeli restrictions on Palestinian Christians
On the other hand, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Israeli police’s assault on Christians and the restrictions on their access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on the occasion of Holy Saturday, Al Jazeera reports.
“The ministry’s official spokesperson, Ambassador Dr Sufian Qudah, affirmed the kingdom’s absolute condemnation and rejection of the illegal Israeli restrictive measures against Christians, including preventing them from freely accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to perform their religious rituals,” a statement from the ministry said.
“These measures coincide with repeated incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, in an attempt to impose new realities in the city of Jerusalem, including temporal and spatial division.”
