Israele - Gaza: (Reuters) Hamas rejects Israel's ceasefire response, sticks to main demands - The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has rejected an Israeli ceasefire proposal, saying on Saturday it had handed to mediators in Egypt and Qatar its response to the proposal it had received last Monday.
- "We.. reaffirm our adherence to our demands and the national demands of our people; with a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation army from the entire Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced to their areas and places of residence, intensification of the entry of relief and aid, and the start of reconstruction," the Islamist faction said.
- Hamas said on Saturday it was ready to conclude a prisoners-for-hostages swap deal with Israel that would see the release of 133 hostages still believed to be held in Gaza in return for hundreds of Palestinians jailed in Israel.
- There was no official Israeli comment on Hamas’ response.
- The Hamas statement came a few days after Israel killed several members of the family of the group's chief Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza, raising fears among the families of hostages that it would derail efforts to secure their release from Gaza.
Israele - Iran: (Reurers) Iran launches drone attack at Israel, expected to unfold 'over hours' - Two security sources in Iraq said dozens of drones had been spotted flying from Iran toward Israel over Iraqi airspace in what Iranian Press TV called "extensive drone strikes" by the Revolutionary Guards.
- Iran has vowed retaliation for what it called an Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate on April 1 that killed seven Revolutionary Guards officers including two senior commanders. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attack.
- Israel and neighbouring Jordan, which lies between Iraq and Israel, said they were closing their airspace on Saturday night.
- Earlier on Saturday, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported that a Guards helicopter had boarded and taken into Iranian waters the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries.
- MSC, which operates the Aries, confirmed that Iran had seized the ship and said it was working "with the relevant authorities" for its safe return and the wellbeing of its 25 crew.
- MSC leases the Aries from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime, Zodiac said in a statement, adding that MSC is responsible for all the vessel's activities. Zodiac is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
(New York Times) Israel’s possible response to Iran brings a moment of great risk. - Iran has retaliated directly against Israel for the killings of its senior generals in Damascus, with an onslaught of more than 300 drones and missiles aimed at restoring its credibility and deterrence, officials and analysts say.
- Has Iran’s attack been enough to satisfy its calls for revenge? Or given the relatively paltry results — almost all the drones and missiles were intercepted by Israel and the United States — will it feel the need to strike again? And will Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, see the strong performance by his country’s air defenses, in cooperation with allies, as a sufficient response? Or will he choose to escalate further with an attack on Iran itself?
- For years Iran took blow after blow from Israel both at home and in the region: assassinations of its nuclear scientists and military commanders, explosions at its nuclear and military bases, cyber hacks, intelligence infiltrations and an embarrassing theft of nuclear documents.
- Iran had been criticized internally and by some senior officers in proxy groups like Hezbollah for its cautious posture during the war in Gaza, especially in its refusal to do more to support Hamas and in its restraint of Hezbollah, its close ally in southern Lebanon, Ms. Vakil said. With the attacks on Saturday, “I think Tehran saw a need to draw this red line and make it clear to Israel that Iran does have red lines and would not continue to tolerate the slow degradation of its position,” she said.
(New York Times) Leaders in Europe and the Middle East call for restraint after the attack.
- Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive bodyarm called the Iranian drone and missile attack, which was largely intercepted by Israel and its allies, “unjustifiable.”
- Foreign ministries across the Arab world, including in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, expressed concern that the Iranian attack could escalate into a broader regional war.
- Saudi Arabia called on the United Nations Security Council, which was scheduled to hold an emergency meeting Sunday on the crisis, to “fulfill its responsibility in maintaining international peace.”
- Jordan, while calling for calm, also confirmed its participation in the military response to the attack, which it cast as a defense of its sovereign airspace. The kingdom signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.
- In a statement, Jordan’s cabinet said its armed forces had shot down multiple aircraft and missiles in the skies over the country, which is sandwiched between Iraq, Syria, Israel and Saudi Arabia. It vowed to defend itself against any future incursions.
Cisgiordania: (New York Times)Death of 14-year-old Ignites More Violence in West Bank - Binyamin Achimair, 14, had left a farming settlement in the West Bank to herd sheep on Friday morning, but never returned, according to the Israeli police. The Israeli forces later found his corpse, and the military said, without providing evidence, that he had been “murdered in a terrorist attack.”
- After Binyamin’s disappearance on Friday, armed Israeli settlers stormed a Palestinian village near Ramallah, torching several buildings and cars, according to Palestinian officials and Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group. One Palestinian man — Jihad Abu Aliya — was killed during the clashes and at least 25 others wounded, according to the village mayor, Amin Abu Aliya.
- The Biden administration has said Israel must do more to clamp down on violence by extremist Israeli settlers, and it has imposed sanctions on several whom it said were involved in attacks on Palestinians. Israeli leaders denounced that move as interference in the country’s internal affairs.
- Human rights groups have long charged that the Israeli authorities do not do enough to prevent violent attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, and that the perpetrators are rarely arrested. An Israeli police spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment as to whether any Israelis had been arrested during the incident.
Europa-Palestina: (The Guardian)Ireland and Spain reiterate plan to form alliance to recognise State of Palestine - The Irish taoiseach, Simon Harris, and Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, vowed on Friday to muster international support for a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine.
- “When we move forward, we would like to do so with as many others as possible to lend weight to the decision and to send the strongest message. The people of Israel deserve a secure and peaceful future. So do the people of Palestine. Equal sovereignty, equal respect, in a region where people of all faiths and all traditions live together in peace.”
- Earlier on Friday, Sánchez met Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, in Oslo and reiterated Madrid’s intention to recognise a Palestinian state by July.
- Since succeeding Leo Varadkar as taoiseach on Tuesday, Harris has underscored Ireland’s continued support for Palestinian statehood and an immediate ceasefire. In a meeting on Thursday with the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, he reiterated a formal joint request made with Spain two months ago to review the Israel-EU association agreement, which carries human rights obligations.
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