April 20: Netanyahu calls US sanctions on IDF unit ‘the height of absurdity’

Abbas: House approval of military aid to Israel is ‘an aggression against the Palestinian people’

Ramallah – The Palestinian Authority presidency says the US House of Representatives’ approval of billions of dollars in new military aid to Israel marked “an aggression against the Palestinian people.”

The money would “translate into thousands of Palestinian casualties in the Gaza Strip” and the West Bank, says Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas, calling it a “dangerous escalation.”

The comments come hours after Abbas told the official Wafa news agency that the PA would be reconsidering bilateral relations with the US after Washington vetoed a Palestinian request for full United Nations membership last week.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Gantz warns US sanctions on IDF unit would set ‘dangerous precedent,’ vows to fight them

War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz joins a growing chorus of criticism by Israeli politicians over the Biden administration’s reported decision to sanction the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion for alleged rights abuses.

Gantz calls the infantry unit “an inseparable part of the Israel Defense Forces,” adding that it’s “subject to military law and is responsible for operating in full compliance with international law.”

“The State of Israel has a strong, independent judicial system that evaluates meticulously any claim of a violation or deviation from IDF orders and code of conduct, and will continue to do so,” the former IDF chief of staff writes in an English post on X.

Gantz adds: “I have a great appreciation for our American friends, but the decision to impose sanctions on an IDF unit and its soldiers sets a dangerous precedent and conveys the wrong message to our shared enemies during war time.”

“I intend on acting to have this decision changed.”

The ‘Netzah Yehuda’ battalion is an inseparable part of the Israel Defense Forces. It is subject to military law and is responsible for operating in full compliance with International law.

The State of Israel has a strong, independent judicial system that evaluates meticulously…

— בני גנץ – Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) April 20, 2024

Protesters march through Tel Aviv streets before being dispersed by cops

Protesters against the government face off against police officers on King George Street in Tel Aviv, April 20, 2024. (Iddo Schejter/Times of Israel)

Protesters march through the streets of Tel Aviv, chanting against the government and calling for the release of hostages.

While in previous weeks demonstrators opted to block the Ayalon Freeway, this week they are walking through some of the city’s most bustling streets like Ibn Gabirol, King George and Dizengoff.

People in restaurants and bars stop what they are doing to look at the march.

Bar Pakula, a protest organizer leading the march, tells The Times of Israel that the purpose of walking through Tel Aviv’s main streets is to wake city residents up from their complacency. As he marches, he chastises bar-goers and restaurant-goers for not joining the protest.

The march eventually halts at the Dizengoff Center mall where police disperse protesters using light force.

Police say no arrests are made and no fines are issued.

Ben Gvir says sanctioning IDF troops ‘a red line’; Smotrich: ‘Complete madness’

Religious Zionist party leader MK Bezalel Smotrich (right) with Otzma Yehudit party leader MK Itamar Ben Gvir in the Knesset plenum, December 28, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says that imposing “sanctions on our soldiers is a red line,” after a report says the Biden administration is slated to announce sanctions against the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion.

The sanctions are reportedly a response to alleged human rights abuses committed against Palestinians in the West Bank by the unit’s members.

Describing the report as “extremely serious,” Ben Gvir states that he “expects Defense Minister Yoav Gallant not to submit to American dictates” and that the members of Netzah Yehuda “must be fully supported.”

“If there is not anybody at the Defense Ministry who will back up the battalion as required, I will ask to absorb them into the Israel Police and the Ministry of National Security,” continues Ben Gvir, who states that he would be willing to integrate it into the Border Police.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says that the imposition of the sanctions “while Israel is fighting for its existence is complete madness.”

“This is part of a planned move to force the State of Israel to agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state and to forsake Israel’s security,” Smotrich charges in a post on X.

Netanyahu slams reported US decision to sanction IDF unit: ‘The height of absurdity’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on March 31, 2024. (Marc Israel Sellem/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issues a statement denouncing any sanctions on the IDF, after a report said the Biden administration is set to blacklist a unit for alleged human rights abuses in the West Bank.

“The Israel Defense Forces must not be sanctioned!” the premier says in a Hebrew-language statement published on his personal social media accounts.

Netanyahu adds that he’s been working in recent weeks to fend off sanctions against “Israeli citizens, including in my conversations with senior American administration officials.”

“While our soldiers our fighting terrorist monsters, the intention to impose sanctions on an IDF unit is the height of absurdity and a moral nadir,” he continues. “The government I lead will act with all means against these moves.”

Bereaved father calls for government’s removal at hostage families protest in Jerusalem

Eyal Eshel, the father of slain soldier Roni Eshel, speaks to weekly hostages' rally in Jerusalem on April 20, 2024. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

Eyal Eshel, the father of slain soldier Roni Eshel, is demanding a change in Israel’s leadership before a crowd of hundreds of protesters who convened in Paris Square in Jerusalem.

“The time for this government has run out, and they need to go,” he says. “This is the time for new leadership.”

“This is not the time for nice words.. not the time for excuses,” he continues, and is met by enthusiastic agreement from the crowd.

Although protests organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum typically refrain from calling for Netanyahu’s removal, its organizers in Jerusalem are more openly critical of the government.

Protests held by government opponents, hostage families converge in Tel Aviv

Demonstrators calling for the release of hostages on Begin Street in Tel Aviv, April 20, 2024. (Iddo Schejter/Times of Israel)

The anti-government protest at Democracy Square ends, and demonstrators join the protest led by the families of hostages held by Hamas calling for their release.

Relatives of hostages speak one after the other, criticizing the government for not having released the hostages already.

Meanwhile, the crowd repeats chants calling for the release of hostages such as “All of them! Now!” and “He who abandoned them, must bring them back!” an insinuation against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

After reading off the names of all the hostages who remain in Hamas captivity, demonstrators continue to march through the streets.

Hundreds rally outside PM’s residence in Jerusalem to advocate for hostage agreement

Hostages and Missing Families Forum organizer Tom Barkai speaks to hostages families protest on April 20, 2024. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

Hundreds of protesters calling on the government to negotiate a hostage deal are gathered at Jerusalem’s Paris Square, outside the Prime Minister’s Residence.

Tom Barkai, an organizer with the Jerusalem branch of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, asks from onstage if anyone in the crowd plans to celebrate Passover, which begins this Monday night.

“Does it even cross your minds how the families of hostages are going to deal with this holiday?” she asks Israel’s politicians. “Instead of sitting at the Seder table, you should be sitting at the negotiating table.”

She holds up her left hand as she speaks, the date 7/10 is written on her palm.

The crowd is crying “shame” toward the Israeli government as Shlomo Alfasa-Goren, a relative of Nir Oz resident Maya Goren who was kidnapped and later murdered by Hamas, speaks to the crowd.

“You abandoned [us], and you need to pay,” Alfasa-Goren tells the government. “Reach an agreement, despite the difficult prices.”

Further down the street, near Netanyahu’s private home, a smaller group is protesting against the government.

Passover themes feature heavily at weekly protests

Passover themes are featured heavily in tonight’s protests calling for new elections and a hostage deal, which are being held two days before the start of the weeklong Jewish holiday.

At a protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea, a speaker says though Passover is approaching nothing feels like a holiday right now, “certainly not a festival of freedom, when 133 of our brothers and sisters have spent more than six months in the tunnels of Gaza, where they are assaulted, starved and raped.”

In Kfar Saba, protesters are urged to keep coming out to demonstrate, even during the Passover vacation. Demonstrators also gather in Rehovot, Hod Hasharon, near Netanya and elsewhere.

In Ra’anana, they read the name of each hostage, chanting “Now!” after each captive.

Protesters hold signs reading “Thank you USA” and “Biden Thank You,” along with Israeli flags and placards of the hostages. Protests are also held in Beersheba and outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, with demonstrators calling on him to resign.

In Tel Aviv, as thousands converge on the weekly anti-government rally, many signs reference the Passover Haggadah and the Four Questions, with one sign saying, “How is this govt different from all others?”

At rally in Haifa, Lapid urges new elections ‘for the hostages’

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid speaks in Haifa on April 20, 2024 at a protest calling for new elections (Courtesy Eilat Markovitch

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid addresses a rally in Haifa, as demonstrations against the government are held in towns and cities across the country.

“This government tells us that we can send our children to the army and pay taxes and hold our businesses together, but the suckers are done being suckers,” says Lapid. “You all came out after October 7 and you went and did everything that this government didn’t do. You took responsibility, each one in their community, you prepared food for evacuees and reservists, placed yellow ribbons for the hostages, you can be relied upon.”

Lapid says the current government “is a disaster that happened to the country.”

The opposition chief adds that he’s been asked why he hasn’t joined the government amid the war. Lapid says he doesn’t want to help strengthen the government, he wants to get rid of it.

“This is not the best that Israel can offer its citizens,” says Lapid. “For the hostages, we need elections now.”

Thanking US, Netanyahu says military aid for Israel ‘defends Western civilization’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issues a statement hailing the US House’s approval of a package of foreign assistance bills, including legislation to award billions in new military aid to Israel amid the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Netanyahu says today’s vote “demonstrates strong bipartisan support for Israel and defends Western civilization. Thank you friends, thank you America!”

Biden hails House for approving Israel and Ukraine aid: ‘Answered history’s call’

WILMINGTON, Delaware — US President Joe Biden praises the lawmakers of both parties who in quick succession passed key aid bills for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, saying that “at this critical inflection point, they came together to answer history’s call.”

“This package will deliver critical support to Israel and Ukraine; provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, Sudan, Haiti and other locations… and bolster security and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” Biden says in a statement.

Speakers at Democracy Square rally in Tel Aviv call for government’s ouster

Ruby and Hagit Chen, the parents of slain IDF soldier Itay Chen, speak at Democracy Square in Tel Aviv, April 20, 2024. (Iddo Schejter/Times of Israel)

Speakers are calling for the ouster of the government at Democracy Square in Tel Aviv.

The first speaker of the night is Noa Karmon Yair, a psychologist from the south who specializes in trauma and has been treating survivors of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, while also having been evacuated from her own home.

The next speakers are Ruby and Hagit Chen, the parents of fallen IDF soldier Itay Chen, whose body was taken to Gaza after he was killed by terrorists on October 7.

“How could it be that the country abandoned you and abandoned me?” Hagit Chen says through tears. “When will you bring me my child back?”

Ruby Chen, a US citizen, says he received a personal call from US President Joe Biden after being notified last month that his son was killed on October 7, but was never contacted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dr. Ronit Levine-Schnur, a law professor at Tel Aviv University and a founder of “The Day After the War Forum” — a group of academics seeking to promote a political plan to complement the war effort against Hamas — calls to strengthen diplomatic ties with the Arab states that assisted Israel in neutralizing last week’s attack from Iran.

FM says US House’s approval of lsrael aid ‘sends strong message to our enemies’

Foreign Minister Israel Katz thanks the Republican and Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives after the legislative chamber passed a bill to grant billions in additional military assistance to Israel.

“The vote on the Israel aid package with overwhelming bipartisan support proves the strong ties and strategic partnership between Israel and the US and sends a strong message to our enemies,” Katz says in a statement.

The bill now heads to the US Senate, which Katz says he hopes will similarly back it “with strong bipartisan support.”

TV report claims Smotrich pushing to start process for legalizing dozens of West Bank outposts

People at the newly repopulated illegal Evyatar outpost in the West Bank, June 22, 2023. (Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry, is pushing to begin the process for legalizing 68 illegal outposts in the West Bank in what would be one of the most dramatic expansions for the settlement movement in decades, Channel 12 News reports.

In February 2023, the government approved the legalization of nine illegal outposts, which eventually became 10, and also made arrangements that Smotrich, head of the staunchly pro-settlement Religious Zionism party, said at the time would “set in motion a broad process which will prepare the continuation of the legalization procedures in relation to the rest of the young settlements.”

“Young settlements” is a euphemism for some 70 illegal outposts in the West Bank which were established in the 1990s and early 2000s with the assistance of different ministries but without formal approval from the government, meaning they are illegal under Israeli law.

The TV report says that Smotrich, who as an additional minister in the Defense Ministry has broad authority over civilian issues in the West Bank, has sent letters to several ministries in recent weeks instructing them to initiate preparations for the legalization of these outposts, including the establishment of educational institutions. paving roads, opening state-funded medical clinics and other relevant measures.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich during a cabinet meeting convened to approve the 2024 amended state budget, January 15, 2024. (Haim Zach, GPO)

Neither Smotrich’s office nor the Prime Minister’s Office immediately responds to requests for comment.

US House overwhelmingly approves new military aid for Israel

The US House of Representatives passes a bill to grant billions in military assistance to Israel, as part of a larger legislative package on foreign aid.

The bill is passed 366-58.

In first, US said poised to sanction IDF unit for alleged rights violations in West Bank

Troops of the Kfir Brigade's Netzah Yehuda Battalion operate in northern Gaza's Beit Hanoun, in a handout image published March 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Biden administration is slated to announce sanctions against the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion for alleged human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank, the Walla news site reports, in what would be the first time the US has ever taken such a step.

Citing American sources, the report says the sanctions would bar the transfer of US weapons to the ultra-Orthodox infantry unit and prevent its soldiers from training with US forces or taking part in any activities with US funding.

One of the sources is quoted saying that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken decided not to sanction other military and police units that the administration was investigating, as it had seen adjustments in their conduct.

An administration official tells the news site that the decision to sanction Netzah Yehuda was based on research done before October 7 that examined incidents in the West Bank.

The report comes days after ProPublica said a State Department panel recommended that Blinken sanction several Israeli units for alleged rights abuses, including Netzah Yehuda, some of whose soldiers were investigated by the IDF over the 2022 death of an elderly Palestinian-American in the West Bank but not charged.

The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on the report.

Protests held across Israel to call for new elections, hostage deal

Israelis wave national flags and hold signs during an anti-government demonstration in Tel Aviv on April 20, 2024. (Jack Guez/AFP)

Protests calling for new elections and an agreement to free the hostages held by Hamas are being held in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and numerous other locales across Israel.

Protesters demanding a deal to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, and denouncing the government, gather outside the Begin Gate of the Kirya IDF Military Headquarters in Tel Aviv, April 20, 2024. (Rony Shapiro / Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

One of the anti-government rallies is being held in Caesarea, the northern coastal town where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a home.

The family of Itay Chen, who was killed on October 7 and his body abducted to Gaza, address protesters at a rally on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, April 20, 2024 (Vardit Alon-Korpel / Pro-Democracy Reform Movement)

Demonstrators gather in Tel Aviv to protest for new elections, hostage deal

Protesters against the government march into Democracy Square in Tel Aviv, April 20, 2024. (Iddo Schejter/Times of Israel)

Demonstrators are congregating at Democracy Square in Tel Aviv to protest against the government while calling for early elections and a deal to release the hostages held by Hamas.

Many protesters carry Israeli flags and signs against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Police have barricaded parts of streets surrounding Democracy Square, as well as nearby exits to the Ayalon Highway to prevent demonstrators from blocking traffic there, as they have done in previous weeks.

The protest was organized by Change Generation, a movement calling for the release of hostages and new Israeli leadership.

“This week we will celebrate the holiday of Passover which reminds us about the danger of a leader whose heart has hardened,” says Josh Drill, a leader of the movement. “To Netanyahu we say: Let our people go! We demand a new responsible leadership.”

Nearby, a demonstration led by families of hostages is being held. The two protests are expected to converge and march through the streets.

IDF strikes Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon for third time today

For the third time today, the IDF says it struck Hezbollah operatives at a site used by the terror group in southern Lebanon.

According to the IDF, reservists of the Etzioni Brigade spotted several Hezbollah operatives at one of the group’s sites in Jebbayn, and fighter jets then struck the building.

Hezbollah has named three members killed in the strike, bringing the group’s toll amid the war to 285.

לפני זמן קצר כוח מחטיבה 6 זיהה מספר מחבלים בתשתית צבאית של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שבמרחב אל ג'בין בדרום לבנון.
בסגירת מעגל מהירה, מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו את התשתית הצבאית בה שהו המחבלים. pic.twitter.com/9Le8GEJ9C9

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 20, 2024

Father of Gigi and Bella Hadid sends racist, homophobic messages to pro-Israel Democrat

Mohamed Hadid arrives at the Zodiac Ball, September 28, 2023, at The Houdini Estate in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Mohamed Hadid, the Palestinian-American real estate developer best known for being the father of models Gigi and Bella Hadid, has sent racist and homophobic messages on Instagram to pro-Israel Congressman Richie Torres, according to The New York Post.

“You worse than the rats of New York sewage system. They have bigger brains than you. You might get a job as bouncer at gay bar,” Hadid reportedly wrote in one of the messages to the New York Democrat.

US Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, at a house in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, March 31, 2024. (Gabriel Sod, Courtesy of UJA-Federation)

The newspaper says that he also told Torres to “make sure you dress as KKK to hide that ugly gray colored face of yours.”

“You are just unusual Black and colorful mouth for Israeli and AIPAC and looking for payday of over 500K,” Hadid was also quoted as writing, referring to the pro-Israel lobbying group.

Related – The ‘improbable friend’: For true progressives, Israel is an exemplar, says Ritchie Torres

Polish flag carrier restores flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut, day after canceling them

FILE - Plane spotters watch a Polish Airlines LOT jetliner land at the Frederic Chopin airport in Warsaw, Poland, on September 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz, File)

WARSAW — Polish national airline LOT restored flights today to Tel Aviv and Beirut, a spokesperson is quoted as saying by state news agency PAP, a day after it canceled them due to frictions in the region.

“Due to the stabilization of the situation in the region, LOT Polish Airlines decided to resume flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut,” Krzysztof Moczulski tells PAP.

Hezbollah says 2 operatives killed, bringing toll in border skirmishes with IDF to 284

Illustrative: Hezbollah members raise flags of the Lebanese terror group during the funeral of a commander and another operative who were killed by an Israeli drone strike, in Chehabiyeh village, south Lebanon, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

The Hezbollah terror group announces the deaths of two members killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” its term for operatives slain in Israeli strikes.

They are named as Ali Harb, from the town of Mansouri, and Hussein Daghman, from Kfar Tebnit.

The announcement comes after the IDF said it carried out strikes on Hezbollah operatives in Ayta ash-Shab and in Kfar Kila today.

Their deaths bring the terror group’s toll since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip to 284.

المقــ ـاومـ ـة الإسـ ـلامـ ـية تزف الشــ ـهيد علي رضا حرب "أبو مهدي" من بلدة المنصوري#ملحق pic.twitter.com/ZYYl9MuX5w

— Mulhak – ملحق (@Mulhak) April 20, 2024

7-year-old girl seriously hurt in Iran attack now breathing on her own

Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba reports an improvement in the condition of a 7-year-old girl who was seriously wounded by shrapnel during the Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel last weekend.

The girl, from a Bedouin town near Arad, is now able to breath on her own, according to the hospital, which still lists her in serious condition.

Rocket warning alerts sound in Western Galilee towns

Rocket warning sirens are activated in two Western Galilee towns near the border with Lebanon.

FM Israel Katz slams Erdogan for meeting Hamas head

Foreign Minister Israel Katz slams Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for hosting Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas terror group’s politburo, for talks in Istanbul.

“The Muslim Brotherhood alliance: Rape, murder, desecrating bodies and burning infants,” Katz writes in a post on X that includes a photo of Erdogan and Haniyeh shaking hands.

“Shame on you, Erdogan!” Katz adds.

Erdogan urges Palestinian unity after meeting Hamas leader: ‘Strongest response to Israel’

ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Palestinians to unite amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, following hours-long talks with the terror group’s chief Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul, his office says.

“It is vital that Palestinians act with unity in this process. The strongest response to Israel and the path to victory lie in unity and integrity,” Erdogan says, according to a Turkish presidency statement.

Turkish media says Erdogan and Haniyeh discussed ceasefire efforts, Gaza aid

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh have ended their meeting in Istanbul after more than two and a half hours of talks, Turkish media reports.

Haniyeh was received at the Dolmabahce palace with his delegation, including a key member of the Palestinian terror group, Khaled Mashal, according to photographs released by the Turkish presidency.

State broadcaster TRT says Erdogan and Haniyeh discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Ismail Haniyeh, the political bureau chief of Hamas, and his delegation meet with Turkish President Erdogan in Istanbul. pic.twitter.com/4pqg0SccM7

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) April 20, 2024

PA’s Abbas threatens to reconsider ties with US after veto of UN membership bid

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas shake hands during their meeting in the West Bank town of Ramallah, February 7, 2024. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

The Palestinian Authority will reconsider bilateral relations with the US after Washington vetoed a Palestinian request for full United Nations membership, PA President Mahmoud Abbas says in an interview with the official WAFA news agency.

The threat, which Abbas has previously made during US President Joe Biden’s tenure without following through on, was published in Arabic by the PA’s news agency but isn’t included in an English translation of what Wafa calls “an exclusive interview.”

“While the world agrees on the application of international law and stands by the Palestinian right, America continues to support the occupation, refusing to compel Israel to stop its genocidal war. It provides Israel with weapons and funds that kill our children and destroy our homes, and it stands against us in international forums, in positions that do not serve security and stability in the region,” Abbas is quoted as saying.

“The United States has violated all international laws and abandoned all promises regarding the two-state solution and achieving peace in the region,” he adds.

The PA leader also accuses the Biden administration of having “reneged on its promises and commitments… by remaining silent on [Israel’s] theft of Palestinian funds” while saying there won’t be regional stability without a “just” resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

“Jerusalem, with its Islamic and Christian sanctities, is a red line that no one can cross,” Abbas says, without noting Judaism’s links to the city.

Erdogan holds talks with Hamas chief Haniyeh in Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) welcoming the leader of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, (R) during their meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, July 26, 2023. (Mustafa KAMACI / Turkish Presidency Press Office / AFP)

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh have begun talks in Istanbul as tensions in the Middle East soar, Turkish media reports.

The meeting at the Dolmabahce Palace started shortly after 2:30 p.m. local time. CNN Turk says Haniyeh arrived at around 2:00 p.m., reports confirmed by several pro-government media including television channel NTV, news agency DHA and newspapers Hurriyet and Milliyet.

China’s FM urges UN to admit Palestinian state ‘to rectify prolonged historical injustice’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a joint press conference with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, April 13, 2017. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

BEIJING — China’s foreign minister Wang Yi has said efforts to admit a Palestinian state into the United Nations were a move to rectify a prolonged injustice, state media Xinhua reporta.

He made the comments at a joint press conference with his Papua New Guinea counterpart during a visit to country.

“A prompt admission of Palestine into the United Nations is a move to rectify a prolonged historical injustice,” Xinhua quotes Wang as saying.

IDF says it carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon

The IDF says it carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah operatives who were spotted at sites belonging to the terror group in southern Lebanon.

It publishes footage of the strikes in Ayta ash-Shab and in Kfar Kila.

The IDF says it carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah operatives who were spotted at sites belonging to the terror group in southern Lebanon.

It publishes footage of the strikes in Ayta ash-Shab and in Kfar Kila. pic.twitter.com/HWx5O38Zmb

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) April 20, 2024

IDF says at least 10 gunmen killed, 8 wanted Palestinians detained in ongoing West Bank raid

IDF troops operate in the West Bank's Nur Shams refugee camp, in an image published April 20, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF has been carrying out a counter-terrorism operation in the West Bank’s Nur Shams refugee camp for more than 40 hours now, the military says.

Amid the raid near Tulkarem, at least 10 gunmen have been killed and eight wanted Palestinians have been detained, according to the IDF.

The IDF says the troops also discovered and destroyed a bomb-making lab, and seized firearms, including assault rifles.

Eight soldiers and a Border Police officer have been wounded so far amid the operation. They are listed in light and moderate conditions.

לוחמי צה"ל, שב"כ ומג"ב פועלים למעלה מ-40 שעות במבצע לסיכול טרור במרחב נור א-שמס במנשה; כוחות הביטחון חיסלו עשרה מחבלים, עצרו שמונה מבוקשים, חשפו מטענים, איתרו והחרימו אמצעי לחימה רבים

לכל הפרטים:https://t.co/twO6IkAiBC pic.twitter.com/3C1r03Seso

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 20, 2024

Report: Missile fired in alleged Israeli strike on Iran had tech to evade radar detection

A Russian-made S-300 air defense system is carried on a truck during Army Day parade at a military base in northern Tehran, Iran, April 17, 2024. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

Two Western officials tell The New York Times that a missile fired in an alleged Israeli strike on air defenses of the Natanz nuclear site had technology that enabled the weapon to evade Iran’s radar defense systems.

Two Iranian officials also tell the newspaper that Iran did not detect intrusions into its airspace yesterday, including drones, missiles or aircraft.

The outlet says that the warplane from which the missile was launched was “far from Israeli or Iranian airspace” and neither the jet nor the missile entered Jordanian airspace, in a calculated move to keep Amman out of any potential ramifications for the reprisal strike after it helped shoot down drones and missiles fired at Israel last weekend.

The alleged Israeli strike in Iran overnight Thursday-Friday went beyond the scope of several small drones described by Tehran, US media reported Friday.

The strike reportedly included at least one missile launched by Israeli Air Force warplanes that targeted an air defense radar site near Isfahan that was part of an array defending the nearby top-secret Natanz nuclear site.

Satellite imagery shows damage to the radar of an S-300 system at the Eighth Shekari Air Base in Isfahan, The New York Times says.

The report says the attack was deliberately designed to send a message of how a wider attack could look.

“Israel’s use of drones launched from inside Iran and a missile that it could not detect, the Western officials said, was intended to give Iran a taste of what a larger-scale attack might look like,” The New York Times writes. “The attack, they said, was calibrated to make Iran think twice before launching a direct attack on Israel in the future.”

Iran’s FM dismisses reported strike by Israel as ‘at the level of toys our children use’

This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows Iran's Natanz nuclear site, on April 14, 2023. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Iran’s foreign minister dismisses reported Israeli strike in response to the unprecedented Iranian missile and drone attack as child’s play. He says Tehran will not respond unless Iranian “interests” were targeted.

“What happened… was no attack,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian tells NBC News.

“It was the flight of two or three quad-copters, which are at the level of toys that our children use in Iran.”

He adds that, “As long as there is no new adventure on behalf of the Israeli regime against Iran’s interests, we will have no response.”

However, the alleged Israeli strike in Iran overnight Thursday-Friday went beyond the scope of several small drones described by Tehran, US media reported Friday.

The strike reportedly included three missiles launched by Israeli Air Force warplanes that targeted an air defense radar site near Isfahan that was part of an array defending the nearby top-secret Natanz nuclear site.

IDF Southern Command chief holds assessment in central Gaza corridor

The chief of the IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, meets with troops in central Gaza, April 19, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Yesterday, the chief of the IDF Southern Command held an assessment in the central Gaza Strip corridor, where the Nahal Brigade is operating, the military announces.

Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman met with the commander of the 162nd Division, Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, to “discuss the continuation of the fighting in the area,” the IDF says.

The so-called Netzarim corridor, built as a road south of Gaza City and north of Nuseirat, enables the IDF to carry out raids in northern and central Gaza while allowing Israel to control access to the north for Palestinians seeking to return after fleeing south.

The army says Nahal troops have carried out dozens of raids in the corridor, killing numerous gunmen and directing airstrikes.

Nahal is due to be replaced in the Netzarim corridor by a reserve brigade, to allow all of the division’s forces to prepare for future operations, including planned offensives in Rafah and central Gaza.

UK minister writes to London police after officer implies Jewish man’s kippa ‘provoked’ anti-Israel crowd

UK Home Secretary James Cleverly arrives for a Cabinet meeting at Downing Street in London, December 12, 2023. (Kin Cheung/AP)

British interior minister James Cleverly writes to London’s Metropolitan Police after an officer told a man wearing a kippa that he was too “openly Jewish” to approach an anti-Israel march.

The Home Office, or interior ministry, states that Cleverly has written to the Met, but does not offers details of the letter’s contents, saying it was a private communication.

“We welcome the Met Police’s apology, and recognize the complexities of policing fast-moving public protests, but simply being Jewish – or of any other race or religion – should never be seen as provocative,” a spokesperson says in a statement.

“Anyone of any religion should be free to go about their lives and feel safe doing so.”

The charity Campaign Against ­Antisemitism released a video late on Thursday which showed a police officer preventing Gideon Falter, its chief executive, from crossing a road in the capital because of the protest on April 13.

The officer was videoed telling Falter he feared his presence could prompt a “reaction” because he was “quite openly Jewish.”

Falter said he was walking through London after attending a synagogue and was not part of “any protest or counterprotest.”

The Metropolitan Police apologized for the “use of the term ‘openly Jewish’ by one of our officers. We know it will have caused offense to many. We reiterate our apology,” the police said in a statement on the X social media platform on Friday.

“Being Jewish is not a provocation. Jewish Londoners must be able to feel safe in this city.”

“You are quite openly Jewish. This is a pro-Palestinian march. I am not accusing you of anything, but I am worried about the reaction to your presence.”

Enough is enough. It is time for a major change.

On Saturday 27th April — the next anti-Israel march — we are asking you,… pic.twitter.com/lfJr7UZnif

— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) April 18, 2024

Sirens in northern border towns warn of suspected drone attack

Sirens sound in several communities close to the northern border, warning of a suspected incoming drone attack.

The latest sirens are the fifth round this morning.

Sirens warn of suspected drone attack on northern border towns

Sirens sound in several communities close to the northern border, warning of a suspected incoming drone attack.

The latest sirens are the fourth round this morning.

French police summon for questioning far-left candidate who called Oct. 7 ‘legitimate’

Rima Hassan attends a meeting of the La France Insoumise (LFI) ahead of the elections, in Montpellier, southwestern France, on April 14, 2024 (Pascal GUYOT / AFP)

Police in France summon for questioning a French-Palestinian candidate from a far-left party they suspect of “advocating terrorism” in connection with her past statements justifying Hamas’s devastating October 7 attack on Israel.

Rima Hassan, a lawyer and activist who is running for the European Parliament election in June on the ticket of Jean-Luc Melenchon’s LFI party, is to come in for questioning on April 30 in Paris, according to a report Friday by Le Monde.

The summons follows the interior ministry’s ban on holding an event focused on the Palestinian cause that LFI had planned to hold on Thursday. Police are also preventing several rallies planned by Melenchon, a firebrand politician who has inveighed against Israel and its Jewish supporters in the past. Authorities fear the rallies may incite violence and compromise public order.

Hassan’s lawyer, Vincent Brengarth, calls the summons “astounding” and an attempt “to criminalize Hassan’s efforts to raise awareness to the urgency of the situation in Gaza.”

Hassan tells Le Monde she will cooperate with police.

Hassan is controversial in France for an interview from November 29, in which she says it’s “true” that Hamas’s October 7 onslaught is a “legitimate action” and that it is “false” that Israel has a right to defend itself, or that a two-state solution is possible.

Iraq says no drones or jets in area of pro-Iran militia base at time of explosion

A screenshot of video from social media shows fire after a reported airstrike on a military base used by a coalition of pro-Iran militias in Iraq, early April 20, 2024. (X video screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

One member of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces was killed and eight wounded in an explosion at its command post on the Kalso military base 50 km (30 miles) south of Baghdad, a military statement says.

There were no drones or fighter jets detected in the airspace of the Babylon area before or during the blast, the military confirms in a statement.

Sirens warn of suspected drone attack on northern border towns

Sirens sound in several communities close to the northern border, warning of a suspected incoming drone attack.

Since October 8, Hezbollah has attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a daily basis with rockets, drones, anti-tank missiles and other means, saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.

The latest sirens are the third round this morning.

Man who set himself on fire outside Trump’s trial has died

Police crime tape is strung at the site across from Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City after a man reportedly set himself on fire, April 19, 2024. (ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

A man has reportedly died after setting himself on fire yesterday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up.

The man burned for several minutes in full view of television cameras that were set up outside the courthouse, where the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president is being held.

NBC News and other US media say that the man had died. NBC News quoted New York City police as saying the hospital where the man was taken had declared him dead.

Officials had said earlier the man, who was in his late 30s, was in critical condition.

Witnesses said the man pulled pamphlets out of a backpack and threw them in the air before he doused himself with a liquid and set himself on fire. One of those pamphlets included references to “evil billionaires” but portions that were visible to a Reuters witness did not mention Trump.

The New York Police Department said the man, who they identified as Max Azzarello of St. Augustine, Florida, did not appear to be targeting Trump or others involved in the trial.

IDF says it hit terror targets in north Gaza, including underground rocket launcher

Troops operating in the Gaza Strip in an undated photo released by the military for publication on April 20, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it struck sites last night in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun following rocket fire from the area at the southern city of Sderot.

The targets included an underground rocket launcher, the military says.

According to the IDF, several rockets were fired at Sderot, although only one managed to cross the border. It was then shot down by the Iron Dome.

Dozens more targets in the Gaza Strip were hit by Israeli fighter jets and drones over the past day, including gunmen and buildings used by terror groups, the IDF adds.

Rocket siren sounds in northern border town

A siren warning of incoming rocket fire sounds in Sasa near the northern border.

Most of the northern border communities have been largely evacuated of civilians since the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group launched almost daily attacks on October 8.

Sister of Israeli kidnapped in Baghdad lambasts Iraqi PM: ‘You aren’t doing anything to save her’

Elizabeth Tsurkov in an undated photo (social media; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The sister of Russian-Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was abducted last year in Baghdad and has been held in captivity since, lambasts Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani at an event in the United States, saying he is not doing enough to secure her release.

“She’s held hostage in your country,” says Emma Tsurkov during the Atlantic Council event in Washington DC.

“You are not doing anything to save her. And you can’t, because they are your government’s partners. They are Iraqi government employees and you should be ashamed of yourself that you’re not doing anything to help her and save her,” says Tsurkov. “She’s innocent and you know it.”

Tsurkov has long said Sudani has the power to secure her sister’s release, but has chosen not to act.

.@emma_tsurkov confronts the Iraqi Prime Minister.

Her sister is being held by Kataib Hezbollah, a terrorist group that an @ABC News investigation found has deep ties to the Iraqi government.

Our story here: https://t.co/JY7ISQuMXc

pic.twitter.com/QiAXgk812f

— Jay O'Brien (@jayobtv) April 19, 2024

A Princeton doctoral student, Elizabeth Tsurkov went missing in late March of last year while doing research for her PhD dissertation on Shiite movements in Iraq. She likely used her Russian passport to enter the country, as Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations.

After conducting an investigation into her quiet disappearance, Israeli authorities revealed in July that Tsurkov had been kidnapped, implicating the Iran-backed armed militia Kataeb Hezbollah in her abduction.

The Prime Minister’s Office announced in a statement following the investigation that it “views Iraq as responsible for her fate and safety” and emphasized that Tsurkov traveled to Baghdad on her own initiative. Under Israeli law, it is illegal for Israeli citizens to enter enemy countries, even on a foreign passport.

The Iraqi government said it began an investigation soon after Israeli officials went public with Tsurkov’s kidnapping.

In November, an Iraqi satellite TV network aired footage of Tsurkov, seemingly under duress, in which she asked in Hebrew for her release and “admitted” to being a Western spy.

7 people killed on roads over the weekend – Magen David Adom

The Magen David Adom emergency service says seven people have been killed on the roads this weekend.

According to the Ynet news site, spokesman Zaki Heller says an additional six people were seriously injured, 20 were moderately injured and several others were slightly injured in 26 crashes.

Sirens in northern border towns warn of suspected drone attack

Sirens sound in a number of communities close to the northern border, warning of a suspected incoming drone attack.

Since October 8, Hezbollah has attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a daily basis with rockets, drones, anti-tank missiles and other means, saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.

Hamas leaders said looking at leaving Qatar amid growing pressure in hostage talks

Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (R), ruler of Qatar since 2013, in a meeting with Hamas politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh (L) and official Khaled Mashal in Doha, October 17, 2016 (Qatar government handout)

Hamas’s political chiefs are exploring moving their base of operations out of Qatar, The Wall Street Journal reports, as the Gulf state is increasingly being pressed to prod the terror group in indirect hostage-for-truce negotiations with Israel.

Citing Arab officials, the report says Hamas has recently contacted two regional countries about having its leaders live there, one of which is Oman.

“The talks have already stalled again with barely any signs or prospects for them to resume any time soon, and distrust is rising between Hamas and the negotiators,” an Arab mediator is quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Another Arab mediator warns “the possibility of the talks being upended entirely is very real,” with the report saying Hamas leaders have faced threats of expulsion if they don’t agree to a hostage deal.

Hamas chief Haniyeh to meet today with Turkey’s Erdogan

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands with Hamas terrorist movement chief Ismail Haniyeh, prior to their meeting in Istanbul, February 1, 2020. (Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool/ File)

ISTANBUL — Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh will meet Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today with Middle East tensions at a high after Israel’s reported attack on Iran and the terror group bracing for a new Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Erdogan has sought but failed to establish a foothold as a mediator in the Palestinian conflict. And he has remained discreet about his meetings with the Hamas head.

“We will keep the agenda between us and Mr Haniyeh,” Erdogan said when questioned by journalists on Friday.

US military formally denies American forces carried out attack in Iraq

A screenshot of video from social media shows fire after a reported airstrike on a military base used by a coalition of pro-Iran militias in Iraq, early April 20, 2024. (X video screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

WASHINGTON — The US military says its forces were not behind a reported strike on an Iraqi military base.

“The United States has not conducted air strikes in Iraq today,” US Central Command says on X, adding that reports American forces had carried out a strike are “not true.”

IRAQ: Massive explosion in Kalsu military camp in Babil, strikes targeted pro-Iran PMF. At least one killed, Israel suspected pic.twitter.com/BhSK2HT7tA

— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) April 19, 2024

Israeli official tells CNN that Israel not behind strike on pro-Iran militias in Iraq

Israel has no connection to blasts in Iraq this evening, an Israeli official tells CNN, after an Iraqi coalition of pro-Iran militias said a military base it uses was targeted in an airstrike.

Iran-allied militias in Iraq confirm base hit in attack; US official: We didn’t strike

BAGHDAD — An airstrike early Saturday hit a base used by the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias in Iraq, the group says in a statement.

It’s not clear who was responsible for the purported attack, which came a day after a suspected Israeli strike in Iran, but militia officials blame US forces.

A US official says there were no US airstrikes in Iraq. The official speaks on the condition of anonymity to provide details that are not public.

In recent months, some PMF member groups staged attacks on US forces based in Iraq and Syria, which they said was in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in its war with the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

Iran’s FM threatens swift and ‘maximum level’ response if Israel ‘wants to do another adventurism’

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian briefs the press at his headquarters in Tehran on April 14, 2024. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

WASHINGTON — Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says that Iran will respond at an immediate and “maximum level” if Israel acts against its interests.

“If Israel wants to do another adventurism and acts against the interests of Iran, our next response will be immediate and will be at the maximum level,” Amirabdollahian says, speaking through a translator, in an interview with NBC News.

His comments follow reports of an Israeli strike on Iran early Friday.

One said killed in ‘bombing’ of Iraqi military base used by pro-Iran militias

BAGHDAD — A huge blast rocks a military base used by Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces to the south of Baghdad, two PMF and two security sources tell Reuters.

The two security sources say the blast was a result of an unknown airstrike, which happened around midnight.

The two PMF sources point out the strikes did not lead to casualties but caused material damage. However, an Iraqi interior ministry source quoted by AFP says the “bombing” killed one person and wounded eight others.

Sources in the PMF, also known as the Hashed al-Shaabi, say the strikes targeted a headquarters of the Iran-backed grouping of militias at the Kalso military base, near the town of Iskandariya around 50 kilometers south of Baghdad.