The Islamic Resistance announced in a statement that ‘in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted at 3:20 pm on Thursday, April 25, 2024, a deployment of Israeli enemy soldiers in the vicinity of the Al- Dhayra post with missile weapons, and achieved direct hit.’
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon
Geneva – Together – Two UN experts warned on Thursday that ‘unilaterally cutting off Palestinian banks from the global banking system would be a violation of the basic principles of international law.’
This warning comes after threats issued by the Minister of Finance in the extremist Israeli occupation government, Bezalel Smotrich, to immediately stop the transfer of Palestinian tax revenues (clearance), and cancel the grant of the pledge of protection from lawsuits before the Israeli courts, and compensation to the Israeli ‘Discount’ and ‘Hapoalim’ banks. They provide money transfer services to Palestinian banks (correspondent services), in the event that the Palestinian Authority continues its movements against Israel in international bodies, including the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, the Security Council, and the United Nations General Assembly .
The independent expert on foreign debt and human rights, Atiya Waris, and the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of
unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Alina Douhan, said in a statement: ‘Unilaterally cutting off Palestinian banks from the global banking system also violates the principle of sovereign equality among states. The principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states, and the principle of cooperation in good faith.’
The statement added: ‘The impossibility of bank transfers will affect all of the Palestinian people indiscriminately, will exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, and affect all basic human rights, including the right to food, the right to water and sanitation, the right to health, and freedom from torture.’ “And the right to life .”
The statement warned that ‘isolating the Palestinian Authority from the financial world will paralyze the Palestinian economy,’ stressing that the pledge of protection (for Israeli banks that provide correspondent services to Palestinian banks) is guaranteed under the Oslo Accords and the Paris Economic Protocol.
The st
atement said: ‘Because Israel collects a large percentage of Palestinian tax revenues (clearance), the Palestinian Authority is vulnerable to Israel’s unilateral suspension of clearance revenue transfers, which is considered unilateral coercive measures that contradict international law.’
The clearing is the tax revenues that Israel collects on goods imported into the Palestinian territories through the ports that it fully controls, estimated monthly at approximately 700 million shekels per month ($202 million) in return for a 3% commission.
According to the statement, since January 24 , monthly tax revenues allocated to public sector employees in Gaza have been transferred to a trust account based in Norway. However, the Norwegian Fund cannot release the funds needed to pay the salaries of public sector employees in Gaza without Israel’s permission.
The statement called for “temporary measures to be taken to prevent irreparable damage and possible violations of international law.”
It is noteworthy that s
pecial rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which is an intergovernmental body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the world .
Rapporteurs and experts are tasked with studying human rights situations and submitting reports on them to the Human Rights Council. It should be noted that this position is honorary, and these experts are not considered employees of the United Nations and do not receive compensation for their work .
Source: Maan News Agency
Gaza – Together – The Gaza Civil Defense said on Thursday that it had recovered about 392 bodies in the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis after the occupation’s withdrawal, adding: 58% of them we could not identify.
The Civil Defense added: We do not know the reason for the presence of children’s bodies in the mass graves at Nasser Hospital, and we discovered traces of torture on the bodies of some martyrs.
He pointed out that the occupation committed field executions at Nasser Medical Complex, demanding the opening of an international investigation into these crimes.
He confirmed that the occupation buried a number of bodies in the Nasser complex in plastic bags at a depth of 3 meters, which accelerated their decomposition.
He said: We believe that the occupation buried at least 20 people alive in the Nasser Medical Complex.
Source: Maan News Agency
Gaza – Together – ActionAid International warned that Gaza would become a cemetery for women and girls after 200 days of humanitarian crisis, as more than 34,000 people were martyred during the past six and a half months, 70% of whom were women and children. 10,000 women were killed in Gaza. Among them, about 6,000 are mothers, according to UN Women.
The organization said: There is no safe place in Gaza from death and destruction. At least 18 children were killed during air strikes on Rafah over the weekend, according to reports, in addition to a pregnant woman whose baby was saved by doctors through an emergency caesarean section. Particularly intense airstrikes were carried out in Rafah, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, resulting in hundreds of thousands of people taking refuge there in fear for their lives.
She added: Women and girls have been affected by the crisis in Gaza in unique ways over the past 200 days. There are only three hos
pitals currently capable of providing maternity care out of 11 partially operating hospitals in the sector. Pregnant women are forced to give birth without adequate care or medical supplies, including antibiotics and painkillers, according to the United Nations Population Fund. Severe food shortages leave many women so malnourished that they are unable to breastfeed their newborns, while some pregnant mothers miscarry very late in their pregnancy as a result of malnutrition. An estimated 690,000 women and girls are forced to deal with menstruation each month amid severe shortages of menstrual supplies, clean water, soap, toilets and privacy. A recent report issued by UNRWA indicates that women and girls are among the detainees arrested in Gaza and indicate that they have been subjected to ill-treatment, including the possibility of harassment and sexual violence, at the hands of Israeli forces.
She indicated: Despite experts warning that famine is imminent in the Gaza Strip, the aid entering the Gaza Strip i
s still less than the required quantity. An analysis of data collected by UNRWA shows that the average of aid trucks that entered the Gaza Strip on a daily basis during the month of April so far has reached 191 trucks through the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings – which is much lower than the rate of trucks that entered the Gaza Strip before October 7, when it was 500 trucks enter it daily. So little aid has been brought in for so long that Oxfam estimates that the Gaza Strip currently needs 1,500 trucks a day to make up the shortfall.
The organization noted: Humanitarian workers continue to face unacceptable risks when providing life-saving assistance in Gaza. Just a week after seven aid workers were tragically killed in an airstrike, UNICEF said one of its convoys was hit by live ammunition while waiting at a checkpoint. Meanwhile, aid remains prevented from reaching the places where it is needed most. 41% of humanitarian missions to northern Gaza were rejected between April 6 and 12, where people are most
at risk of famine, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, while the World Health Organization said the latest mission to hospitals in northern Gaza was completed. It was only partially completed, and was completed due to severe delays at checkpoints and ongoing military actions.
She stressed: If there is any hope of avoiding famine in Gaza, it is necessary to significantly and immediately increase the volume of humanitarian aid entering Gaza and provide full access to it to deliver it to those who need it most. We reiterate that aid and infrastructure workers have a protected status under international humanitarian law and should never be targeted. All donor countries that have not yet resumed their funding to UNRWA must immediately refund UNRWA, as it is the largest active humanitarian organization in Gaza and represents a lifeline for the residents of the Strip.
Reham Jaafari, communications and advocacy officer at ActionAid Palestine, said, ‘People in Gaza ha
ve been living a nightmare from which they cannot wake up for more than 200 days. Gaza has become a graveyard for women and girls, who constitute the vast majority of the number of victims, instead of being a place where they can live and develop.’ The women who survived the near-constant bombardment suffer from severe food and water shortages in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.
She added: ‘It is clear that the full extent of the human rights violations and horror in Gaza has not yet been fully revealed. We are horrified by the recent reports of the discovery of nearly 300 A body in the courtyard of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. We demand that a full investigation be conducted without delay. The amount of aid currently arriving in the Gaza Strip is still completely insufficient, despite the dire and urgent need for that aid. Therefore, the volume of humanitarian relief must be increased significantly and immediately ‘But ultimately, what women and girls and all those trapped in Gaza need most is a per
manent ceasefire now – it is the only way to end the killing and allow the sufficient, safe and effective delivery of much-needed humanitarian assistance.’
Source: Maan News Agency
Bethlehem Together – Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Hani Al-Hayek stressed the importance of working with international partners from various global organizations to support programs and projects related to preserving archaeological sites and turning them into tourist destinations.
Minister Hayek’s speech came during his meeting with Ms. Veronique Sophia, Director of the Office of the French Development Agency (ADF) in Palestine, where the meeting took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in the city of Bethlehem and in the presence of Mr. Jihad Yassin, Director General of Museums and Excavations at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and Mr. Hani Balata, Director of Cultural Heritage Projects at the Agency. French for development
Al-Hayek spoke about the crisis that the tourism sector in Palestine is going through as a result of the aggression against the Gaza Strip, stressing that the Ministry is working on a set of plans and programs that will be implemented imme
diately after the end of the aggression to ensure the return of tourism activity to Palestine to its previous state.
Minister Hayek stressed the importance of the joint bilateral relations between the Palestinian and French sides, especially in the field of tourism and the field of cultural heritage, as this relationship was translated on the ground through joint projects that have been implemented and are being implemented, such as the St. Hilarion (Tel Umm Amer) project in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Hayek stressed the Ministry’s endeavor to develop archaeological sites in Palestine and transform them into tourist destinations, as these sites constitute an important part of our Palestinian national heritage, and by restoring these sites we preserve national identity, in addition to the contribution of these projects in transforming archaeological sites into tourist destinations, which increases the chances of attracting groups. Tourism from various countries of the world to Palestine
In turn, Ms. Veronique Sophia
, Director of the French Development Agency (ADF) office in Palestine, stressed the importance of the relationship between the French and Palestinian sides, especially in the field of preserving cultural heritage, with the necessity of developing the horizons of joint work to include new projects that contribute to transforming archaeological sites into tourist destinations.
During the meeting, the latest developments on the St. Hilarion (Tel Umm Amer) project were discussed, in addition to discussing the management and preservation plan for this important archaeological site. Ways to develop joint work horizons to include new projects were discussed, in addition to discussing overcoming obstacles to the projects being implemented jointly on the ground. at present
Source: Maan News Agency
Jerusalem Together – The number of settlers storming the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque increased on the third day of the Jewish Passover, amid harassment of worshipers entering it.
The Islamic Endowments Department said that 1,679 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa, ‘1,128 during the morning, 551 during the afternoon.’
The settlers performed their prayers during the storming of Al-Aqsa.
The occupation authorities changed their restrictions on the entry of worshipers to Al-Aqsa, by checking identities and preventing young men.
The Almoravid forces also prevented the presence and presence at the gates of Al-Aqsa.
Source: Maan News Agency
