2024-04-01 11:13:02
The WHO reports deaths in an Israeli attack on a hospital. A US senator sharply criticizes Netanyahu. More information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Iran-aligned militias in Iraq claim responsibility for attack on Eilat
9:39 a.m.: Islamic militias in Iraq say they are behind the air strike on Eilat on the southern tip of Israel. A “vital target” in Israel was attacked “with appropriate weapons,” says the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq. Details were not provided. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq is a kind of umbrella organization of several militias that are supported by Iran.
Israel: Secret service arrests Hamas leader’s sister
9:21 a.m.: The sister of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyya has been arrested in Israel. She is suspected of having ties to Hamas and supporting their terror, Israeli media report. The police announced that a relative of Haniyya had been arrested. According to reports, this is 57-year-old Zebah Abdel Salem Haniyya.
The police, together with the domestic secret service Shin Bet, arrested Haniyya early on Monday morning and searched her house in the Israeli town of Tel Sheva. According to official information, the security forces confiscated documents, telephones and data carriers there. You can read more about Ismail Haniyya here.
Israel: Mission completed at Shifa Hospital
9.10 a.m.: The Israeli army command announces that the operation against the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City has been completed. The emergency services had withdrawn. In the offensive against the hospital complex that began two weeks ago, Palestinian fighters were killed and weapons and secret documents were confiscated.
Rescue service: Three injured in knife attack in Israel
5:38 a.m.: According to an emergency service, three people were injured in a knife attack in a shopping center in Israel. They were taken to a hospital in the city of Ashdod, a spokesman for the Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said on Sunday.
The police said that a “terrorist” stabbed three people with two knives before he was “neutralized” by the police. The official did not say whether this meant the attacker had been killed. The suspect is a 19-year-old from Hebron in the West Bank, the police spokesman told the AFP news agency.
There was already a similar attack on Sunday at the Beersheva bus station in the south of the country. Since the war in Gaza was sparked by the Islamist Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, there have been numerous deadly knife attacks in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
Israeli army withdraws tanks from Al-Shifa hospital
4.45 a.m.: The Israeli army has withdrawn tanks from the Al-Shifa hospital complex in the Gaza Strip. A journalist from the AFP news agency, who was near the clinic, observed tanks and vehicles leaving the area on Monday morning. The Israeli army did not initially confirm the withdrawal of tanks. The Health Ministry, controlled by the Islamist Hamas, said dozens of bodies had been found.
Two weeks ago, the Israeli army launched a major operation in the Al-Shifa Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip, the largest clinic in the coastal region. According to Israeli information, the operation was directed against high-ranking Hamas members in the complex in the city of Gaza.
The Israeli armed forces had already carried out an operation in the Al-Shifa clinic in November, causing international criticism.
Report: USA and Israel plan virtual meeting on Rafah offensive
3:43 a.m.: According to a media report, representatives from Israel and the USA are to meet virtually this Monday for discussions about Israel’s planned ground offensive against the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. The meeting will take place via a secure connection as a video conference, the news portal “Axios” reported on Monday night, citing four Israeli and US officials. The White House and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not yet commented on the possible meeting.