Weekly World News
West Asia/Middle East:
The Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip has led to a confirmed death toll of 33,237 people while thousands of others remain buried under the rubble and many of the dead go unreported due to a collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system. This week 4 were killed and 17 wounded in an Israeli airstrike on the Al-Aqsa hospital, a continuation of Israel’s military campaign against Gaza’s hospitals, leading to the closure of many and the deaths of patients undergoing lifesaving care. Dozens of deaths have been reported in hospitals due to malnutrition and dehydration. The entirety of the Gaza Strip now experiences famine or near-famine conditions due to a lack of food supplies and the absence of a humanitarian distribution system. The International Court of Justice unanimously ruled that Israel must allow the entrance of humanitarian assistance into the strip. Top UN Rights Official Volker Türk warned that Israel’s obstruction of food aid may constitute a war crime. On Sunday, Gaza’s Christians held Easter service in darkness due to a lack of electricity. The Pope reiterated the need for an end to the violence in Gaza as churches are destroyed and Palestinian Christians continue to be killed.
Israeli strikes near the Syrian city of Aleppo killed at least 40 people, a number of which were civilians, according to the Syrian Defense Ministry. The strike allegedly targeted Syrian and Hezbollah soldiers, although Israel has not commented on the attack.
A cross-border exchange of rocket fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces led to the deaths of 16 Lebanese and 1 Israeli. The Sunni political and militant Islamic Group reportedly joined forces with Hezbollah in its ongoing fight against the Israeli state.
North America:
A visit to the United States by top Israeli officials was canceled this week amidst heightened tensions between the historic allies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the cancelation of the visit by an Israeli delegation and heavily criticized the United States’ abstention on a Gaza ceasefire vote in the United Nations Security Council. The United States has also voiced its objection to an assault on the refugee city of Rafah, which Netanyahu has vowed to carry out.
Sources:
Channel - https://t.me/geopolitics_live
Channel - https://t.me/ukraine_watch
Channel - https://t.me/eyeonpal
Channel - https://t.me/QudsNen
Article - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker
Article - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/29/famine-gaza-us-state-department-israel-food-aid
Article - https://www.rt.com/news/595138-israel-airstrike-aleppo-syria/