Netanyahu vows to fight any sanctions on Israeli military units 'with all his strength'
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he would fight against sanctions being imposed on any Israeli military units after media reported that Washington was planning such a step against a battalion for alleged rights violations.
On Saturday, Axios news site reported that Washington was planning to impose sanctions on Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion that has operated in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military said it was not aware of any measures being taken (see earlier post at 14.04).
“If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) – I will fight it with all my strength,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli military said that Netzah Yehuda battalion is an active combat unit that operates according to the principles of international law.
“Following publications about sanctions against the battalion, the IDF is not aware of the issue. If a decision is made on the matter it will be reviewed. The IDF works and will continue to work to investigate any unusual event in a practical manner and according to law,” the military said earlier.
The news of possible sanctions against the Netzah Yehuda battalion follows a statement by the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, on Friday that he had made “determinations” over the claim that Israel had violated the Leahy law, which prohibits the provision of military assistance to police or security units that commit gross violations of human rights.
Since the law was enacted, US aid has been blocked to hundreds of units around the world accused of rights violations.
Gaza’s civil defence said health workers had uncovered at least 50 bodies of people killed and buried by Israeli forces at a hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. In a statement to AFP, the civil defence agency said the remains were discovered in the courtyard of Nasser Medical Complex.
Israeli strikes on Rafah overnight killed 22 people, including 18 children, health officials said. The first Israeli strike on the southern Gaza city killed a man, his wife and their three-year-old child, according to the nearby Kuwaiti hospital, which received the bodies. The woman was pregnant and the doctors managed to save the baby, the hospital said. The second strike killed 17 children and two women, all from an extended family, according to hospital records.
A unit of the Israel Defense Forces is facing US sanctions over its treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. US state department officials have reportedly confirmed they are preparing to impose sanctions on the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has been accused of serious human rights violations against Palestinians. The highly significant move, which would be the first time the US government has targeted an IDF unit, prompted immediate anger among Israeli political leaders who vowed to oppose it. “If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) – I will fight it with all my strength,” Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said.
Hamas has condemned the US House of Representatives’ approval of $26.4bn (£21.34bn) in military support for Israel. “This support, which violates international law, is a licence and a green light for the Zionist extremist government (Israel) to continue the brutal aggression against our people,” the Palestinian militant group said. “We consider this step a confirmation of the official American complicity and partnership in the war of extermination waged by the fascist occupation army against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.” The House passed a $95bn legislative package providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The package also includes about $9bn in humanitarian assistance for civilians in war zones, such as Haiti, Sudan and Gaza.
The Israeli army said that its soldiers killed two Palestinians who tried to shoot and stab them in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, and the Palestinian health ministry said both men had died. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa, quoting local sources, said that Israeli forces shot the two men near the West Bank city of Hebron, and that ambulance crews were prevented from reaching them.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, thanked the country’s armed forces for their 13 April operation against Israel, Iran’s official news agency reported, and he called upon them to “ceaselessly pursue military innovation and learn the enemy’s tactics”. “The armed forces showed a good image of their abilities and power and an admirable image of the Iranian nation,” Khamenei was also quoted as saying. “They also proved the emergence of the power of the Iranian nation’s determination at the international level.”
At least 34,097 Palestinian people have been killed and 76,980 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement. An estimated 48 Palestinians were killed and 79 others injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.
We are closing this blog now, but you can stay up to date on the Guardian’s Middle East coverage here.
Health workers uncover at least 50 bodies of people killed by Israeli forces at Nasser Medical Complex - officials
Gaza’s civil defence said health workers had uncovered at least 50 bodies of people killed and buried by Israeli forces at a hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Israel’s military said it was checking the reports.
In a statement to AFP, the civil defence agency said the remains were discovered in the courtyard of Nasser Medical Complex.
“Inside the Nasser Medical complex there are mass graves dug by the Israeli occupation … we were shocked by the presence of bodies of 50 martyrs in one of the pits yesterday,” Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for the civil defence agency, told AFP.
“We are continuing the search operation today and are waiting for all graves to be exhumed in order to give a final number of martyrs.”
Intense fighting raged in mid-February in the area of the hospital, and Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles surrounded it on 26 March.
Much of Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip’s second biggest city, was left in ruins earlier this month after Israel’s military pulled troops out of southern Gaza, leaving just one brigade in the devastated area.
A city of 400,000 people was gradually deserted as Israeli forces mounted intense bombardments. Israel believed some Hamas leaders were in the city.
Netanyahu vows to fight any sanctions on Israeli military units 'with all his strength'
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he would fight against sanctions being imposed on any Israeli military units after media reported that Washington was planning such a step against a battalion for alleged rights violations.
On Saturday, Axios news site reported that Washington was planning to impose sanctions on Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion that has operated in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military said it was not aware of any measures being taken (see earlier post at 14.04).
“If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) – I will fight it with all my strength,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli military said that Netzah Yehuda battalion is an active combat unit that operates according to the principles of international law.
“Following publications about sanctions against the battalion, the IDF is not aware of the issue. If a decision is made on the matter it will be reviewed. The IDF works and will continue to work to investigate any unusual event in a practical manner and according to law,” the military said earlier.
The news of possible sanctions against the Netzah Yehuda battalion follows a statement by the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, on Friday that he had made “determinations” over the claim that Israel had violated the Leahy law, which prohibits the provision of military assistance to police or security units that commit gross violations of human rights.
Since the law was enacted, US aid has been blocked to hundreds of units around the world accused of rights violations.
The Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) said Mohammed Awad Allan, 50, was shot while treating people who had been injured by Israeli settlers.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said forces were sent to the village of As-Sawiya to break up clashes.
It confirmed an ambulance driver was killed, and that it was investigating. The circumstances of the death are not clear.
In a statement on Sunday, the IDF said troops and Israel Border Police forces were sent following reports of a “violent confrontation of mutual rock hurling that occurred between Palestinians and Israeli civilians in the area of As-Sawiya”.
It added: “During the incident, an ambulance driver for the Palestine Red Crescent was killed. The Military Police have opened an investigation.”
The PRCS said Mr Allan tried to treat people injured “by gunshots fired by Israeli settlers”.
Hamas has condemned the US House of Representatives’ approval of billions of dollars in new military aid to Israel.
“This support, which violates international law, is a licence and a green light for the Zionist extremist government (Israel) to continue the brutal aggression against our people,” the Palestinian militant group said in a statement.
“We consider this step a confirmation of the official American complicity and partnership in the war of extermination waged by the fascist occupation army against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”
The $95bn in total funding includes roughly $61bn for Ukraine (with much of the funding going towards replenishing American munitions); $26bn for Israel; $8bn for US allies in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan; and $9bn in humanitarian assistance for civilians in war zones, such as Haiti, Sudan and Gaza, though the package also includes a ban on direct US funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa), an agency providing key assistance to Gaza, until March 2025.
Two Palestinians killed by Israeli troops in occupied West Bank - report
The Israeli army has said that its soldiers killed two Palestinians who tried to shoot and stab them in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, and the Palestinian health ministry said both men had died.
“One of the terrorists attempted to stab IDF soldiers that were in the area, who responded with live fire and neutralized him,” the Israeli military said.
“At the same time, the other terrorist opened fire at the soldiers, who responded with live fire and neutralized him too.”
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa, quoting local sources, said that Israeli forces shot the two men near the West Bank city of Hebron, and that ambulance crews were prevented from reaching them.
These reports have not yet been independently verified by the Guardian.
Palestinian security sources told Wafa that the two men, aged 18 and 19, died and that they were still unable to collect their bodies.
More than 460 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since 7 October, Palestinian health officials say. Some were killed by the Israeli military but others in attacks by settlers.
In a meeting with Iranian military commanders on Sunday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, praised the armed forces for their “success in recent events”, a week after the country’s first-ever direct attack on Israel from its own territory (see earlier post at 12.01 for more details).
“The armed forces showed a good image of their abilities and power and an admirable image of the Iranian nation,” Khamenei said. “They also proved the emergence of the power of the Iranian nation’s determination at the international level.”
The remarks from Iran’s supreme leader are the first since Iran attacked Israel and since a reported Israeli attack on a military airbase in central Isfahan province on Friday.
“The armed forces’ recent achievements have created a sense of splendour and magnificence about Islamic Iran in the eyes of the world,” Khamenei said in quotes posted on his official X account.
The armed forces recent achievements have created a sense of splendor and magnificence about Islamic Iran in the eyes of the world and among international observers. pic.twitter.com/XztrqDxQ7S
The Friday strike, which Khamenei did not mention, was a presumed response to Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel which was itself a retaliation for an airstrike on the Iranian consular building in Damascus.
Israel has said it will hold a “protest talk” with ambassadors from several UN security council members which voted for the “State of Palestine” to become a full UN member.
The decision to veto the request drew rebukes from across the region. The Palestinian presidency condemned the US veto as “unfair, unethical and unjustified”, while the Egyptian foreign ministry said it regretted the inability of the security council to enable full Palestinian membership.
Palestinians currently have non-member observer status, granted by the UN general assembly in 2012. An application to become a full member with voting rights would have to be approved by the security council and two-thirds of the general assembly.
The Israeli military said on Sunday it was unaware of any US sanctions against one of its combat battalions, Reuters reports, after media reported that Washington was planning such a step against the unit for alleged rights violations.
The military said that its Netzah Yehuda battalion is an active combat unit that operates according to the principles of international law.
“Following publications about sanctions against the battalion, the IDF is not aware of the issue. If a decision is made on the matter it will be reviewed. The IDF works and will continue to work to investigate any unusual event in a practical manner and according to law,” the military said.
A unit of the Israel Defense Forces is facing US sanctions over its treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, my colleague Peter Beaumont reports. It comes even as Congress voted for $26bn in new emergency aid to Israel.
According to a reports in the Israeli media, US state department officials have confirmed they are preparing to impose sanctions on the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has been accused of serious human rights violations against Palestinians.
The highly significant move, which would be the first time the US government has targeted an IDF unit, sparked immediate anger among Israeli political leaders who vowed to oppose it.
The death toll from the overnight strikes in Rafah has increased again. Associated Press reports that health officials now say that 22 people were killed, including 18 children, in two strikes.
The first Israeli strike in Rafah killed a man, his wife and their 3-year-old child, according to the nearby Kuwaiti hospital, which received the bodies. The woman was pregnant and the doctors managed to save the baby, the hospital said.
The second strike killed 17 children and two women, all from an extended family, according to hospital records. Mohammed al-Beheiri said his daughter, Rasha, and her six children, the youngest 18 months old, were among those killed. Her husband’s second wife and their three children were still under the rubble, al-Beheiri said earlier.
Here are some of the latest images coming out from the newswires:
Palestinian children sit next to the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Rafah. Photograph: Mohammed Salem/Reuters
The Palestinian Civil Defense recovers 50 bodies from what they are calling a mass grave inside Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Photograph: Haitham Imad/EPA
We have some more quotes from Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
“How many missiles were launched and how many of them hit their target is not the primary question, what really matters is that Iran demonstrated its will-power during that operation,” Khamenei said on Sunday.
Overnight Israeli strikes on Rafah killed 18 people, including 14 children, health officials said. The first strike killed a man, his wife and their three-year-old child, according to the nearby Kuwaiti hospital, which received the bodies. The woman was pregnant and the doctors managed to save the baby, the hospital said. The second strike killed 13 children and two women, all from the same family, hospital records showed.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, thanked the country’s armed forces for their 13 April operation against Israel, Iran’s official news agency reported, and he called upon them to “ceaselessly pursue military innovation and learn the enemy’s tactics”.
At least 34,097 Palestinian people have been killed and 76,980 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement. An estimated 48 Palestinians were killed and 79 others injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.
Israeli forces killed 14 Palestinians during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, while an ambulance driver was killed as he went to pick up injured people from a separate attack by violent Jewish settlers, according to Palestinian authorities cited by Reuters.
Iran's supreme leader calls upon armed forces to 'learn the enemy's tactics'
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, thanked the country’s armed forces for their 13 April operation against Israel, Iran’s official news agency reported on Sunday, as he called upon them to “ceaselessly pursue military innovation and learn the enemy’s tactics”.
The Iranian strike was a response to an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus on 1 April, which killed at least 11 people, including a senior commander in the al-Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.The strikes have brought a long shadow war between the two sides into the open and added to regional tensions.
The Israeli military has reportedly carried out air raids in southern Lebanon’s towns of Naqoura, Majdel Zoun and Ayta ash-Shab. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Israel and Hezbollah – a Lebanese Shia Muslim militant group – trade almost daily strikes across the border, which began with the start of Israel’s war on Gaza after the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel.
Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, will make an official visit to Pakistan from Monday to Wednesday, Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs has said.
During the visit, Raisi will meet the president and the prime minister of Pakistan, chairman of the Senate and speaker of the National Assembly, according to the statement.
Pakistan has signalled since January that Raisi would visit, and the prime minister said last week the visit would take place “very soon”.
During his visit Raisi will meet Pakistan’s president and prime minister, the chairman of the Senate and speaker of the National Assembly, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement.
“They will also discuss regional and global developments and bilateral cooperation to combat the common threat of terrorism,” the statement said.
Raisi will visit major cities including Lahore and Karachi and focus on bilateral and trade ties, it said.
Pakistan has called on all parties in the Middle East to “exercise utmost restraint and move towards de-escalation”.
Tehran has played down Friday’s suspected Israeli attack and indicated it had no plans for retaliation, a response that appeared gauged towards avoiding a regionwide conflict.
