On the 163rd day of the war on Gaza, there was an increase in tension between American administration and Israeli government. The Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy claimed authority over soldier deployments and appointments which caused dissent within the Israeli government. Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s Finance Minister criticized new army appointments leading to clashes with Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy. In a government meeting, Israel’s National Security Minister also criticised Yoav Galant, Defense Minister.
Families Demand Prisoner Exchange
Families belonging to Israeli prisoners held by Palestinian resistance in Gaza protested in Tel Aviv and called for speedy negotiations for a prisoner swap with Hamas.
Land Aid is Safer
Juliet Touma from UNRWA emphasized that delivering aid through land to Gaza is safest and most efficient. “This way, we can reach out to as many needy Gazans as possible,” Touma said. Mahmoud Basal; a spokesman from Gaza Civil Defense highlighted some of the challenges faced in aid delivery due to restrictions imposed by Israel. The Jordanian army conducted air drops of food aid into northern part of the strip where they were accompanied by Egypt, USA and Germany. However, Palestinians sustained injuries because of landing issues in some air drops.
Amnesty International’s Call for a Ceasefire
The organization also stressed the need for President Joe Biden to demand an immediate end to hostilities in Gaza and discontinue weapon transfers to Israel.
American-Israeli disputes
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused the Biden administration of supporting anti-Israel movements and called for resistance against US sanctions on settlers, as he urged them to continue occupying land. US Senator Ben Cardin expressed concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and criticized Israel for causing divisions. In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's remarks by stating that they necessitated new elections.
Continuous Bombing
Accordingly, according to Al Jazeera’s report, these resulted in casualties, where Palestinian artillery shelling claimed one life and fighters were found dead at Hamad Town after clashes with Israeli forces.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, 13 of its teams and volunteers have been arrested by the occupation forces without any information concerning their current situation.
After detaining him for 36 days, he was let go by the Israeli army from his prison cell.
Bombing a Deir al-Balah House
Israeli fighter jets have bombed a Deir al-Balah house resulting in 12 fatalities mainly women and children as Al Jazeera’s correspondent reports.
This includes occupied territories within Khan Yunis city located southwards of the Gaza Strip whereas northeast Rafah has also experienced raids. A resident said Israeli planes had bombed areas west of Gaza City in central Gaza Strip as well.
Situation on West Bank
Meanwhile a correspondent has reported that violent clashes erupted between Israeli troops and young Palestinians and there have been explosions heard during an ongoing raid by the IDF into Nablus in West Bank.
