Israel’s war on Gaza, now on its 210th day, has killed at least 34,622 Palestinians — 70 percent of them babies, children and women — and wounded over 77,867.
Friday, May 3, 2024
1214 GMT — The Health Ministry in Gaza said that at least 34,622 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory during almost seven months of war between Israel and Hamas.
The tally includes at least 26 deaths in the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 77,867 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war between Palestinian resistance group Hamas and Israel.
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1202 GMT — Britain sanctions Israeli groups for violence in West Bank
Britain announced new sanctions on “extremist Israeli groups” and a number of individuals who it said were behind the violence in the occupied West Bank, according to a statement from the British Foreign Ministry.
1157 GMT — Israel detains 53 Palestinian journalists: NGOs
Israel keeps 53 journalists in its prisons, including 43 who were arrested after the outbreak of the war against Gaza on October 7, 2023, said the Palestinian Prisoner Society and the Addameer association for Prisoner Support and Human Rights on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.
The two institutions said the Israeli forces arrested and detained a total of 70 journalists after the outbreak of the war, including 43 who are currently held in their prisons.
It indicated that “four journalists from Gaza are still under forced disappearance.”
In their joint statement, the two Palestinian groups said the arrests highlighted “the systematic policies used by the occupation regime over many decades against Palestinian journalists.”
1139 GMT — Türkiye’s President Erdogan denounces Western support for Israel
Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised the West for its ongoing support to Israel.
“All Western countries, led by the US, are supporting Israel and they are sparing no efforts to condemn the poverty-stricken Palestinians to death,” he said.
Erdogan also added that the ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestine is “unacceptable.” “Israel has brutally killed 40,000 to 45,000 Palestinians so far. As Muslims, it is unthinkable for us to stand by and watch this happen,” he added.
1040 GMT — Rafah operation could result in ‘slaughter of civilians’: UN
An Israeli army’s invasion in Rafah would put the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians at risk and be a huge blow to the humanitarian operations of the entire enclave, the UN humanitarian office said.
Israel has warned of an operation against Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where around a million displaced people are crowded together in shelters and makeshift accommodation, having fled months of Israeli bombardments.
“It could be a slaughter of civilians and an incredible blow to the humanitarian operation in the entire strip because it is run primarily out of Rafah,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office, at a Geneva press briefing.
1014 GMT — Harvard to install safety barriers amid pro-Palestine encampment
Harvard University announced plans to install three-foot orange barriers in some locations around the pro-Palestine encampment in Harvard Yard at the center of the campus to ensure safety during freshmen move-out.
The barriers, slated to be in place until May 15, will be positioned between key buildings bordering the encampment, including Massachusetts Hall, Harvard Hall, Matthews Hall, Hollis Hall, and University Hall, according to the university’s spokesperson Jason A. Newton.
These measures aim to manage pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow during the ongoing occupation.
Harvard has progressively implemented measures to mitigate the encampment’s impact on normal operations, including restricting access to the Yard and relocating events and exams.
Spokesperson Newton stressed pedestrian safety, urging individuals to maintain “a safe distance from vehicles” and keep “egress passageways clear.”
0936 GMT — Hamas calls for global action over Israeli targeting journalists
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas called for global action to “criminalise” Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists.
In a statement marking World Press Freedom Day, Hamas said: “We call for global action to denounce, expose and criminalise the occupation’s violations, and to protect Palestinian journalists and media professionals from the oppression and terrorism of the (Israeli) occupation”.
The Palestinian group affirmed that Israel’s “crimes against journalists will not obscure the reality of its terrorism and aggression”.
Hamas stressed that Israel “failed to prevent the spread of the Palestinian narrative at the Arab, Islamic and international levels”.
At least 141 journalists and media professionals were killed and more than 70 others were injured by Israeli army gunfire in addition to the arrest of dozens during the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, the Gaza-based Government Media Office said.
0929 GMT — Hamas hails Türkiye’s suspension of trade with Israel as ‘victory’
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas praised Türkiye’s decisions to suspend trade with Israel considering it a “victory for the Palestinian people.”
“We highly value the decisions recently taken by the Republic of Türkiye as a victory for our Palestinian people who are being subjected to a horrific genocide,” Hamas said in a statement.
The movement hailed both the cessation of commercial trade with Israel and Türkiye’s decision to join the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Tel Aviv before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
0912 GMT — Israel delays vote on closure of Al Jazeera television
The Israeli Cabinet postponed voting on a decision to ban Al Jazeera television in the country until next Sunday, local media reported.
The Israeli Walla website said that the Cabinet did not vote at its meeting on Thursday evening on a decision to close Al Jazeera in Israel.
“The Cabinet, which met on Thursday evening, was supposed to vote on a decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi to ban Al Jazeera’s activities in Israel, but at the last minute, the vote was postponed,” the website added.
0905 GMT — Israeli diplomat in Russia says ceasefire in Gaza possible for exchange of hostages
An Israeli diplomat working in Russia said that her country might consider a ceasefire in Gaza only under the condition of a hostage exchange with Hamas.
“A temporary ceasefire is only possible to free the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza,” Julia Rachinsky-Spivakov told local media answering a question about a possibility of declaring a pause in hostilities for the time of religious holidays.
0812 GMT — Israel confirms death of hostage held in Gaza
An Israeli man held hostage in Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attack has been confirmed dead, the government and the kibbutz where he had lived said.
Dror Or, 49, is the latest hostage to have been confirmed dead by Israel after begin captured during the Hamas attack.
Or was killed and his body held in Gaza since October 7, the Beeri kibbutz said. It was one of the communities hardest hit in the Hamas attack on southern Israel from Gaza.
Israel estimates that 129 captives seized by fighters during their attack remain in Gaza. The military says 35 of them are dead including Or.
0745 GMT — 4 children among 7 killed in Israeli raid in southern Gaza
At least four children among seven Palestinians were killed and several others were injured in an Israeli raid targeting a house in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza, medical sources told Anadolu.
The victims were said to be from the Shaheen family, and lived in the Al-Zuhur neighbourhood.
Multiple civilians were also wounded in Israeli airstrikes on a house in the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood, Rafah, and on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Wafa news agency.
0550 GMT — Rebuilding Gaza require efforts not seen since World War II — UN
Rebuilding Gaza will cost as much as $40B and require an effort on a scale the world has not seen since World War II amid “unprecedented levels of human losses, capital destruction”, the United Nations says.
“The United Nations Development Programme’s initial estimates for the reconstruction of… the Gaza Strip surpass $30 billion and could reach up to $40 billion,” said UN assistant secretary-general Abdallah al-Dardari.
“The scale of the destruction is huge and unprecedented… This is a mission that the global community has not dealt with since World War II,” Dardari told a press conference in the Jordanian capital Amman.
0658 GMT — New video shows Israeli soldiers in Gaza using Palestinian civilian as human shield
A newly surfaced videotape depicted a civilian man being directed by Israeli soldiers to inspect a school in Gaza City.
The footage by Al Jazeera media network obtained from a downed Israeli drone, captured what appeared to be Israeli soldiers using a detained Palestinian man as a human shield to inspect an abandoned school in Shujaiya neighbourhood.
The footage dates back to December 2023.
There was no immediate comment from Israeli authorities on the video.
0350 GMT — No sign of Hamas attacking US troops
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that he does not see any indication that Hamas is planning an attack on US troops in Gaza.
“I don’t discuss intelligence information at the podium,” Austin said at a news conference in Hawaii when asked whether he has any credible information that the Palestinian group will target US troops building a pier off Gaza.
“But I don’t see any indications currently that there is an active intent to do that,” he added.
The US military is nearing the completion of a $320 million floating pier off Gaza’s coast to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave.
Austin said it is combat zone and a number of things could happen.
0517 GMT — Hamas considering latest Gaza truce offer in ‘positive spirit’
Hamas says it is considering in a “positive spirit” a Gaza truce deal.
After months of stop-start negotiations, Hamas has sounded an optimistic tone about the latest hostages-for-ceasefire proposal, raising hopes an agreement may soon be reached — even as medics reported fresh strikes on Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniya said the group will “soon” send a delegation to Egypt to complete ongoing ceasefire discussions with a deal that “realises the demands of our people”.
Haniya, the leader of the resistant group’s political wing, told Egyptian and Qatari mediators in calls on Thursday that Hamas was studying the latest proposal from Israel with a “positive spirit”.
0239 GMT — 3 Palestinians critically injured by Israeli army, illegal settlers in West Bank
At least three Palestinians, including a child, were critically wounded by Israeli army gunfire and an attack by illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement that two of the injured, including one in the head from the town of Anabta, arrived at Tulkarem Hospital.
Additionally, a child seriously wounded in the chest arrived at Rafidia Hospital from the town of Qusra, the statement said.
Palestine Television identified the injured person from Anabta as Mohammed Saber Youssef Adas, 49, who works in the presidential guard.
0211 GMT — US destroys 3 Houthi uncrewed aerial systems in Yemen
The US destroyed targets in an area of Yemen controlled by the Houthi group, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
“At approximately 2:00 p.m. (Sanaa time) on May 2, 2024, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully engaged and destroyed three uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) in an Iranian-backed Houthi controlled are a of Yemen,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
CENTCOM said it determined that the systems presented an “imminent threat” to US and coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region.
“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition and merchant vessels,” it added.
0046 GMT — Jordan’s King, Pope Francis discuss Gaza, violations by illegal Israeli settlers
Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Pope Francis held discussions on developments in Gaza and illegal Israeli settlers’ violations of holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.
This came during their meeting at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, according to a statement from the Royal Court.
The King ”reaffirmed Jordan’s commitment to undertaking it s religious and historical role in safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem under the Hashemite Custodianship,” the statement said.
0031 GMT — Israeli army says it targeted Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon
The Israeli army said that it targeted several Hezbollah fighters in the town of Ayta al-Shaab in southern Lebanon.
”Israeli fighter jets struck several Hezbollah operatives who were spotted by troops entering buildings,” The Times of Israel daily cited a military statement as saying.
There has been no comment by Hezbollah on the Israeli army’s statement.
2253 GMT — Hamas officials to visit Egypt for talks as Israel batters Gaza
Hamas has said that it was sending a delegation to Egypt for further ceasefire talks, in a new sign of progress in attempts by international mediators to hammer out an agreement between Israel and the resistance group to end Tel Aviv’s brutal war in besieged Gaza.
After months of stop-and-start negotiations, the ceasefire efforts appear to have reached a critical stage, with Egyptian and American mediators reporting signs of compromise in recent days.
But chances for the deal remain entangled with the key question of whether Israel will accept an end to the war without reaching its stated goal of destroying Hamas which many experts say is far-fetched.
2222 GMT — Israel wounds Syrian soldiers in fresh attacks
Syrian regime’s Defence Ministry has said Israel wounded eight soldiers in air strikes near Damascus.
“The Israeli enemy launched air strikes from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting a site near Damascus… injuring eight soldiers,” the ministry said in a statement.
2251 GMT — Israel confirms death of captive in Gaza
An Israeli man held in besieged Gaza since October 7 has been confirmed dead, Israel said.
Dror Or, 49, was killed, and his body was held in Gaza since October 7, said the settlement where he had lived.
Israeli officials did not say how they learned of Or’s death.
2146 GMT — France’s Po Sciences University closes main site over Gaza protests
France’s prestigious Sciences Po University has said it would close its main Paris site due to a fresh occupation of buildings by dozens of protesting pro-Palestine students.
In a message sent to staff, its management said the buildings in central Paris “will remain closed tomorrow, Friday May 3. We ask you to continue to work from home”.
A committee of pro-Palestinian students earlier announced a “peaceful sit-in” at Sciences Po and said six students were starting a hunger strike “in solidarity with Palestinian victims” in Gaza.
2117 GMT — Quebec seeks dismantlement of pro-Palestine encampments
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has said the encampment at Montreal’s McGill University should be dismantled as more students erected pro-Palestine camps across some of Canada’s largest universities, demanding they divest from groups with ties to Israel.
The Canadian protests come as police have been arresting hundreds on US campuses, and the death toll in Gaza has been mounting.
While McGill had requested police intervention, law enforcement had not stepped in to clear the.
Students also set up encampments at Canadian schools, including the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia and the University of Ottawa.
“We want the camp to be dismantled. We trust the police, let them do their job,” a spokesperson for Legault said.
2025 GMT — Hamas wants Israel held accountable for torturing Palestinians to death
Hamas has called for Israel to be held accountable for the death of two Palestinian prisoners, including Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, due to torture.
“The deaths of our people abducted from Gaza in Israeli jails under torture confirm the atrocious war crimes continuing against our people,” the movement said in a statement.
The statement noted: “Israel forcibly took many of our people from schools and hospitals to detention centres…, including doctors, whose crime was their humanitarian duty towards people.”
Hamas demanded information about Palestinian prisoners’ fate and an international investigation against Israel’s leaders.
“The murder of Dr. Adnan al-Bursh in the Israeli prison has raised the death toll of the health sector in the Gaza Strip since October 7 to 496,” Palestinian officials said in a statement.
2017 GMT — Palestinian journalists win World Press Freedom prize
UNESCO has awarded its World Press Freedom prize to all Palestinian journalists covering the Israeli carnage in besieged Gaza.
“In these times of darkness and hopelessness, we wish to share a strong message of solidarity and recognition to those Palestinian journalists who are covering this crisis in such dramatic circumstances,” said Mauricio Weibel, chair of the international jury of media professionals.
“As humanity, we have a huge debt to their courage and commitment to freedom of expression.”
Audrey Azoulay, director general at the UN Organisation for Education, Science and Culture, said the prize paid “tribute to the courage of journalists facing difficult and dangerous circumstances”.
1915 GMT — Yemen’s Houthis threaten ‘4th round of escalation’
The Yemeni group Houthi said that it is preparing a “fourth round of escalation” if the Israeli carnage on besieged Gaza continued.
“If Israel and the US persist in aggression against the Palestinian people, there will be a fourth round of escalation against this occupying enemy,” group leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said in a recorded speech reported by the Houthi-run Saba News Agency.
1900 GMT — Israel withholding ‘500 bodies’ of slain Palestinians in jails
The Palestinian National Campaign to Retrieve the Bodies of the Martyrs has accused Israel of withholding the bodies of 500 slain Palestinians who died inside Israeli occupation jails, including the bodies of 58 others since the beginning of 2024, WAFA news agency reported.
“Withholding the bodies in the cemeteries and the occupation’s refrigerators constitutes an affront to the human dignity of a person, during his life and after his death, and a collective punishment,” the campaign said, urging international organisations to demand the release of the bodies to let the families bury them.
