Israel Kills Two Journalists in Gaza Spiking their Number to 208

Israeli kills two more Palestinian journalists in separate Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, Monday. This raises the overall death toll of male and female journalists and media workers to 208 since 7 October 2023 when the Israeli war started on the enclave soon after.

The Gaza government media office stated that Hossam Shabat, a reporter for the Qatari-based Al Jazeera Mubasher channel, was killed in an Israeli strike in northern Gaza.

Mohammed Mansour, a reporter for Palestine Today TV, was also killed in another airstrike that struck his apartment in the southern city of Khan Younis. His wife and child were also killed in the attack, the media office confirmed in a statement.

The media office held Israel, the US, and their allies, including the UK, Germany, and France, fully responsible for what it described as “a brutal crime,” according to Anadolu.

It appealed to the international community and relevant institutions to exert meaningful pressure to stop what it called an “ongoing genocide” and to ensure protection for journalists and media workers.

The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on 18 March, killing at least 730 people and injuring nearly 1,200 others despite a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 113,200 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

CrossFireArabia

CrossFireArabia

Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

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US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that there will likely be an announcement concerning the situation in the besieged Gaza Strip within the next 24 hours.

“We’re going to see what’s happening. A lot of talk going on about Gaza right now. You know that, right? So you’ll be knowing probably in the next 24 hours,” Trump said, one day after teasing a “very big announcement.”

Trump declined to specify what the announcement would concern when asked Tuesday, but said it would be “as big as it gets.”

He maintained, however, that it would be “very positive,” and could happen as soon as Thursday, the same time frame as the Gaza announcement he previewed.

It is not clear if Trump was addressing the same matter when he vaguely referred to the Gaza announcement, but his special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is reportedly slated to brief members of the UN Security Council on a US and Israeli proposal to facilitate aid deliveries in Gaza.

Earlier reports stated Israel’s Security Cabinet recently approved an aid delivery plan for Palestinians in the enclave via private US security contractors based on handing over aid boxes to individuals.

The UN and all aid groups working in Gaza, however, have rejected the plan, arguing it violates international humanitarian principles.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last month opposed the plan.

The Trump administration is reportedly seeking support from other countries while urging the UN to cooperate according to Anadolu.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is an unofficial briefing done in the US mission,” Greece’s UN mission told Anadolu, as it holds the Council presidency for May.

The closed-door meeting comes days before Trump’s Middle East tour, which includes a summit with Gulf leaders on Iran and Gaza.

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Oman Mediates US-Houthi Ceasefire

Oman on Tuesday announced that its mediatory efforts led to a ceasefire between the US and Houthis in Yemen, after President Donald Trump said the group will not be carrying out attacks on commercial ships.

“Following recent discussions and contacts conducted by the Sultanate of Oman with the United States and the relevant authorities in Sana’a, in the Republic of Yemen, with the aim of de-escalation, efforts have resulted in a ceasefire agreement between the two sides,” Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said in a statement on X.

“In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping,” he added.

Expressing appreciation for both parties’ cooperation, Albusaidi said: “The Sultanate of Oman expresses its gratitude to both parties for their constructive approach that led to this welcome outcome, and hopes that it will lead to further progress on many regional issues towards achieving justice, peace, and prosperity for all.”

Houthis started attacking shipping lanes in the Red and Arabian seas after Israel’s war in Gaza, in solidarity with the Palestinians.

In March, Trump launched a military operation against the Yemeni group.

Earlier, during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the White House, Trump said Houthis informed them they will not be carrying out additional attacks on commercial ships, and the US will reciprocate by halting attacks on Yemen, according to Anadolu.

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