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Relatives of Palestinian victims killed in Israeli attack take their bodies from morgue of al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah on April 29, 2024 [Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu Agency]
By Edna Mohamed and Farah Najjar
Published On 28 Apr 2024

This live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage of the war in Gaza here.

29 Apr 2024 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

That’s a wrap from us

Thank you for joining us for updates on everything related to Israel’s war on Gaza.

For more news, analysis and opinion on the conflict, click here.

29 Apr 2024 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)

A look at what happened today

We will be closing this live page soon. Here’s a quick recap from today:

  • The US said the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel’s war on Gaza.
  • Pro-Palestinian student protesters at Columbia University have defied a deadline, which has left them with an ultimatum to either leave the campus encampment or face suspension.
  • Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed attacks on two vessels and two US destroyers, the group’s military spokesman Yahya Sarea said.
  • The Israeli army has said two reservists were killed in central Gaza yesterday.
  • A Hamas delegation has left Cairo, where it was discussing Israel’s response to a potential ceasefire proposal.
  • The US and the UK have said the potential deal is a “generous” offer of a sustained 40-day ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of captives.
29 Apr 2024 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

Search for survivors after Jabalia refugee camp bombing

The Wafa news agency is reporting that the eastern parts of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza have come under Israeli bombardment.

A video shared on social media by photographer Mahmoud Shelha, and verified by Al Jazeera, shows residents and rescuers searching for survivors under collapsed concrete slabs.

Translation: Ambulances and rescue workers arrived at the scene after occupation planes carried out a series of raids on as-Sikka Street, in the east of Jabalia refugee camp.

29 Apr 2024 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)

Hamas delegation leaves Egypt after ceasefire talks

A senior Hamas delegation has reportedly left Egypt’s capital Cairo where it was discussing a ceasefire proposal with mediators, Egyptian media reported.

Hamas has repeatedly said it will not accept a deal that does not include a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza – which have been major sticking points in negotiations.

Earlier, the US secretary of state claimed that the Israeli proposal was an “extraordinarily generous” offer, while Egypt’s foreign minister said he was “hopeful” about a new proposal.

UK Foreign Minister David Cameron said the potential deal would include a 40-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of captives from Gaza.

“Stopping the attacks against Palestinians is not generous. The attack itself is a crime, so when you stop a crime, you can’t claim that it’s a generous action from the Israeli side,” senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera.

29 Apr 2024 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

Houthis claim attack on two vessels, two US destroyers

Yemen’s Houthis targeted two US destroyers and the vessel CYCLADES in the Red Sea as well as the MSC Orion in the Indian Ocean, the group’s military spokesman Yahya Sarea said.

The Houthis, who control the most populated parts of Yemen, have carried out dozens of attacks on vessels with commercial ties to the US, the UK and Israel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November.

The group says the attacks are a response to Israel’s assault on Gaza.

29 Apr 2024 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

US advocacy groups back Palestine solidarity campus protests

By Ali Harb

Several faith, civil rights and progressive groups have expressed solidarity with university students protesting US support for Israel.

“We commend the students who are exercising their right to protest peacefully despite an overwhelming atmosphere of pressure, intimidation and retaliation, to raise awareness about Israel’s assault on Gaza – with US weapons and funding,” the organisations said.

The statement, backed by nearly 190 groups, highlights the growing progressive support for the campus protest movement despite crackdowns by university administrators and law enforcement agencies.

Read our full story here.

29 Apr 2024 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

What would ICC arrest warrants against Netanyahu mean for Israel?

Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu says nobody will stop Israel’s military actions – not even the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is investigating the country’s operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and could issue warrants for the arrest of Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders.

Watch more below:

29 Apr 2024 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

Rafah residents say can’t create safe zone in a war zone

By Hani Mahmoud

Reporting from Rafah, southern Gaza

Despite the ongoing talks and progress made in Cairo for a potential ceasefire, people are still very cautious because they still have to deal with this intense bombing campaign that has been going on for the past 24 hours.

There has been an intense surge in air attacks and artillery shelling of not only Rafah City, but the remaining eastern part of the Gaza Strip. We’re looking at at least three atrocities committed against displaced families in Rafah and other parts of the Gaza Strip.

At least 43 people have been killed, and 26 of those who have been killed in overnight attacks and throughout the day happen to be from Rafah City.

There are reports of people still stuck under the rubble. There is also the inability of civil defence crews and paramedics and volunteers to reach those who might have survived these attacks.

It is increasingly becoming difficult to live in Rafah. One thing that the residents keep repeating here is that you can’t create a safe zone in a war zone.

29 Apr 2024 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

European, Arab FMs meet in Riyadh to resuscitate two-state solution

European and Arab foreign ministers met in the Saudi Arabian capital on Monday to discuss how to join forces on advancing a two-state solution.

“If we want to move this two-state solution forward, it will not happen from the parties. I do not believe that Israel is ready to negotiate at this point, and I do not think that the US is ready to take the necessary leadership,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, one of the organisers of the meeting, told reporters. “So I think an Arab-European leadership is the best we can hope for.”

The meeting took place on the sidelines of a two-day World Economic Forum (WEF) special meeting in Riyadh, which was largely devoted to the war on Gaza.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud was among the leaders who told the WEF meeting that tangible and irreversible steps towards establishing a Palestinian state would be an essential component of any deal for a durable ceasefire.

“The continued rejection of the two-state solution will inevitably undermine the security and stability of the region,” Prince Faisal said at the start of the European-Arab meeting.

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide speaks at a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 29, 2024 [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters]
29 Apr 2024 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

‘We will not be silenced’, says University of Texas student protester

Hadi, a student and one of the protesters at the University of Texas in Austin in the United States, says the school is trying to “censor us”.

“We are seeing the illusion of American freedom, the illusion of American freedom of speech, crumbling behind us,” Hadi told Al Jazeera from the scene of the university encampment, where police are arresting dozens of students.

“The system and this university have decided to showcase that they would rather subjugate, oppress and silence students than allow us to have a peaceful demonstration where we hope to educate each other,” he said. “We will not be silenced.”

Students are calling for an end to Israel’s assault on Gaza and for the university to divest and stop all funding and investments tied to Israel.

29 Apr 2024 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

Seattle students join protests, pitch tents

Pro-Palestine protesters pitched a handful of tents on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, joining other universities across the US in denouncing Israel’s war on Gaza.

According to the Reuters news agency, approximately two dozens students pitched tents on the quad, next to “no camping” signs that appeared over the weekend.

A few pro-Israel protesters stopped by and filmed while tents were being erected, but no altercations occurred.

29 Apr 2024 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

If you’re just joining us

Here’s a look at the recent developments:

  • The US says the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel’s war on Gaza.
  • Pro-Palestinian student protesters at Columbia University have defied a deadline, which has left them with an ultimatum to either leave the campus encampment or face suspension.
  • An Italian navy ship shot down a drone fired by Yemen’s Houthi group that was aimed at European cargo.
  • The Israeli army said two reservists were killed in central Gaza yesterday.
  • The US Department of State has said it found five units of the Israeli military responsible for human rights violations in incidents that took place outside Gaza before October.
  • Relatives of captives held in Gaza have protested in front of the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, calling for a deal with Hamas.
29 Apr 2024 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

LISTEN: Will the ICC issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials?

All eyes are on the International Criminal Court.

It’s investigating Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Israeli officials fear it’s preparing to issue arrest warrants against Prime Mininster Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior figures.

So what would legal action mean for the country and its leaders?

Listen to our Inside Story Podcast below:

 

29 Apr 2024 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

Biden speaks to Egyptian, Qatari leaders in push for Gaza deal

The Egyptian president received a phone call from US President Joe Biden to discuss the latest developments in negotiations regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and the dangers of a military escalation in Rafah, a statement from Egypt’s presidency said.

It added that the call also touched on the exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners, a main sticking point in any comprehensive ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.

A Hamas delegation is currently in Cairo to deliberate on Israel’s response to a ceasefire deal.

President Biden also spoke to Qatar’s emir on Monday about efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

29 Apr 2024 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)
Developing

Arrests of protesters ‘ongoing’ at University of Texas

Hundreds of Texas state troopers have arrested students protesting against Israel’s assault on Gaza at the University of Texas in Austin in the US.

Demonstrators have been told to leave by the university, but they have defied orders to do so.

Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro, reporting from the scene, said arrests are “continuing and ongoing”.

“Now, the sheriff’s department has showed up with a large bus that they are filling now with arrested protesters,” she said.

Within the encampment, protesters are sitting “with their arms linked, in defiance of the call from the university to disperse”, Zhou-Castro said, adding that people at the scene said there is an “overly heavy police response”.

According to Zhou-Castro said, there was “no sort of violence, no sort of anti-Semitic chanting, leading up to this police response”.

29 Apr 2024 - 20:15
 (20:15 GMT)

Parents and guardians of NYU students slam university president in open letter

Almost 600 “parents, guardians and loved ones” of students at New York University have criticised NYU President Linda Mills’s response to the student-led pro-Palestine demonstrations, as universities across the US step up rallies protesting Israel’s assault on Gaza.

In an open letter addressed to Mills, parents and guardians said they are “concerned and disturbed” by the reaction of the university to the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment”.

“Our number one priority is the safety of our children and their freedom of expression,” the letter read.

“The lies you are pushing infuriate and deeply alarm us,” the letter added, referring to an email reportedly sent by Mills. The email is “a betrayal of trust and a blatant attempt to deflect accountability for the university’s violent and horrific actions”, the parents said.

More than 100 protesters, including students and faculty members, were arrested by police at the encampment last week.

“We have not been offered any proof of an incident of intimidation, unsafe behavior, or antisemitism that you touted to justify the brutalization of our students,” the parents said in their joint letter.

“It was Linda Mills and NYU, who authorised riot police to arrest our students, that created a dangerous and violent situation,” they added, describing the arrests as brutal and disproportionate.

29 Apr 2024 - 20:10
 (20:10 GMT)

US says ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel’s war on Gaza

A US State Department spokesman has said the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction over Israel’s war on Gaza.

“Since this president has come into office, we have worked to reset our relationship with the ICC and we are in contact with the court on a range of issues, including in connection to the court’s important work on Darfur, on Ukraine, on Sudan as well,” Vedant Patel said.

“But on this investigation, our position is clear. We continue to believe that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over the Palestinian situation.”

Israel is not a member of the ICC and does not recognise its jurisdiction, but the Palestinian territories were admitted with the status of a member state in 2015.

In October, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said the court had jurisdiction over any potential war crimes committed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

“The ICC is an independent organisation and their efforts are being undertaken without any contact or interference by the US,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters on Monday.

The US – Israel’s closest ally – is also not a member of the court. A White House spokesperson said later on Monday that “the ICC has no jurisdiction in this situation, and we do not support its investigation”.

29 Apr 2024 - 20:00
 (20:00 GMT)

Protesters defy Columbia University’s deadline

Pro-Palestinian student demonstrators at Columbia University have defied a 2pm (18:00 GMT) deadline after they were faced with an ultimatum to either sign a form and leave their protest encampment or face suspension.

The notice sent on Monday by the university in New York City to protesters in the encampment said that if they left by the deadline and signed a form committing to abide by university policies through June 2025 or an earlier graduation, they could finish the semester in good standing. If not, the letter said, they will be suspended, pending further investigation.

Protesters met the deadline with chanting, clapping and drumming from the encampment of more than 300 people. No officials appeared to enter the encampment, with at least 120 tents staying up as the deadline passed.

Colleges around the US had implored a wave of pro-Palestinian student rallies to clear out tent encampments. College classes are wrapping up for the semester, and campuses are preparing for graduation ceremonies, giving schools an extra incentive to clear encampments.

29 Apr 2024 - 19:45
 (19:45 GMT)

Italian navy shoots down Houthi drone in the Red Sea

An Italian navy ship shot down a drone fired by Yemen’s Houthi group that was targeting a European cargo, the Italian Ministry of Defence has said.

The drone was intercepted “in the late morning” near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, the ministry said. It was taken down 5km (3.1 miles) from the cargo ship.

The cargo was targeted by other drones and missiles, with one missile exploding in water near it, causing only superficial damage, the ministry said.

The Italian frigate Virginio Fasan and the cargo it was escorting are proceeding southwards on their planned route to exit from the Red Sea, the statement added.

Houthi rebels have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping in the area, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel’s war on Gaza.

29 Apr 2024 - 19:30
 (19:30 GMT)

Two Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza

The Israeli army has said that two reservists were killed in the central Gaza Strip yesterday.

This brings the Israeli troop death toll to 263, the army said.

The two soldiers were killed and another soldier was seriously wounded in the Netzarim Corridor area, the army said.

Hamas’s Qassam Brigades issued a statement yesterday saying it had set up an ambush for Israeli soldiers that led to the killing and injuring of several reservists.