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Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah [File: Mohammad Jahjouh/AP Photo]
By Stephen Quillen, Mersiha Gadzo and Maziar Motamedi
Published On 1 May 2024

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

1 May 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.

 

1 May 2024 - 23:55
 (23:55 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

Here’s a quick recap of today’s developments:

  • Israel said it will invade Rafah with or without an agreement with Hamas as the group is expected to respond to a ceasefire proposal shortly.
  • Israel reopened the Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing into northern Gaza on the same day as a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, but Israeli settlers attacked two aid convoys sent by Jordan.
  • Pro-Palestinian demonstrations continue to spread across the US and the globe, with US campuses calling in armed police to arrest dozens of protesters.
  • The US House passed a bill, now on its way to the Senate, that broadens the definition of anti-Semitism to include criticism of the State of Israel.
  • Colombia decided to sever diplomatic relations with Israel, which prompted the Israeli foreign minister to call the Colombian president anti-Semitic.
  • As border fighting with Hezbollah escalates in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military chief said preparations are under way for “an offensive in the north”.
Palestinian children after an Israeli air strike in Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza Strip, as more deadly strikes targeted Rafah in the south, along with other parts of the enclave [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo]
1 May 2024 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)

Israeli military claims attacks on Hezbollah positions

The Israeli military says its fighter jets launched strikes on two buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Ayta al-Shaab and Marwahin a few hours ago.

It said in a short statement that its forces had also targeted another site belonging to the armed Lebanese group in Tayr Harfa.

The Israeli military said this came after two antitank guided missiles were launched by Hezbollah earlier on Wednesday at homes in the Israeli town of Shtola, attacks which inflicted no casualties. The military said it “attacked the source of the fire”.

1 May 2024 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

Palestinian Red Crescent to establish field hospital with Kuwaiti, Egyptian help

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says it has received trucks loaded with medical devices and equipment belonging to the Kuwaiti Red Crescent via the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza.

The aim, it says, is to establish a field hospital in the Mawasi area near Khan Younis in southern Gaza to provide medical services to “hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians”.

As the Israeli military continues its attacks on the southern parts of the enclave and also plans to invade Rafah from the ground, the PRCS is undertaking this project with help from Kuwaiti and Egyptian counterparts.

1 May 2024 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)

UN reports over 800 Israeli settler attacks in West Bank since October 7

The report by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) that we cited earlier also says the organisation has recorded at least 800 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians since October 7.

It says 84 incidents resulted in Palestinian casualties, 629 incidents led to damage to Palestinian-owned property, and 90 incidents resulted in both.

“These incidents resulted in the killing of 31 Palestinians either by Israeli settlers or forces, close to 500 injuries, and vandalization of nearly 80 houses, at least 11,700 trees and saplings, and about 450 vehicles.”

According to the UN report, since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, some 1,765 Palestinians, of whom 43 percent are children, have been displaced after their homes were demolished.

“Over half [961 people] were displaced during operations by Israeli forces, of which 94 percent took place in the refugee camps of Nur Shams, Tulkarm and Jenin.”

1 May 2024 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

US House passes ‘anti-Semitism’ bill that targets Israel criticism

The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill that broadens the definition of “anti-Semitism” in order to include the “targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity”.

The proposal was passed 320-91, and aims to codify a definition of anti-Semitism offered by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

It will now have to be also approved by the Senate, but many US politicians – especially Republicans – have backed it, as tens of thousands of students stage pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country.

Democratic and Jewish member of Congress Sara Jacobs, who voted against the legislation, said she has faced anti-Semitism all her life, “but I do not believe that anti-Zionism is inherently anti-Semitism”.

She said she rejected the legislation “because it fails to effectively address the very real rise of anti-Semitism, all while defunding colleges and universities across the country and punishing many, if not all, of the non-violent protesters speaking out against the Israeli military’s conduct”.

1 May 2024 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

US defends much-criticised veto of Palestinian membership in UNSC

The US has once again defended its choice to be the sole permanent member of the UN Security Council to veto a widely supported resolution that would have allowed full UN membership for Palestine and de facto recognition of it as an independent state.

In a General Assembly session in New York to discuss the failed April 18 attempt, US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood said there was no unanimity among members as to whether Palestine met the criteria for membership.

He said that “Hamas, a terrorist organisation, is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, an integral part of the state envisioned in this resolution”.

Wood also claimed that the veto “does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgement that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties”.

1 May 2024 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

Hezbollah claimed four attacks on Israeli positions today

The armed Lebanese group says in its end-of-day report of border fighting with Israel that it launched four attacks on Wednesday.

Hezbollah said in order to retaliate against Israeli strikes on villages in southern Lebanon, it targeted the Metulla settlement, while also using rockets and missiles to target the hills of Kfar Chouba.

The armed group also said it monitored a deployment of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Pranit barracks and used rockets and artillery shells to target them.

Lastly, it claimed an attack on the Shtoula settlement, achieving a direct hit, using guided missiles.

Hezbollah has been increasingly using rocket volleys and guided missiles to target Israeli positions in border fighting that has been ongoing since October 8, a day after the start of the Gaza war.

1 May 2024 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

Palestinian children thank US students for demonstrations

Palestinian children have been recording videos of themselves thanking US students for demonstrations calling for an end to the devastating war on Gaza.

“We, the people of Gaza, are very happy when we see American students standing with us,” a young Palestinian student says in this video shared by the Palestine Action protest network.

The students can be seen acknowledging and thanking those taking part in major protests across some of the top universities in the US and elsewhere, including UCLA, Emory, and George Washington University.

1 May 2024 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

Nearly half of aid missions to northern Gaza impeded or denied in April: UN

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says in its latest report that many humanitarian aid missions into northern Gaza, where needs are most urgent, are still being denied by the Israeli military.

It said that of the 94 missions in April, 27 percent (25) were impeded, 10 percent (9) were denied, and 8 percent (8) were cancelled due to logistical constraints.

After months of restricted access to northern Gaza, the World Food Programme (WFP) said earlier today that it managed to reach Beit Hanoon in order to set up storage space for aid.

“Rolling back six months of starvation requires steady flows of food supplies. Safe, lasting access needs to be sustained over time,” it said.

1 May 2024 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

New Yorkers rally in support of Palestine on May Day

A large crowd gathered today at New York City’s Foley Square for a protest entitled “Student and Workers Unite for Palestine”.

Posts from protest organisers say that this rally is being held in sympathy not only with Palestinians in Gaza, as they continue to endure Israel’s ongoing military campaign, but also with students on US university campuses, who are currently facing harsh police crackdowns as they demand their institutions divest from business ties with Israel.

1 May 2024 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

Qatar’s FM discusses Gaza developments with Iranian counterpart

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani received a call from Hossein Amirabdollahian of Iran, in which the top officials discussed, among other issues, ending the war in Gaza, a read-out from the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.

“The call dealt with discussing bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the means to enhance them, in addition to the latest developments in the country, de-escalation, particularly in terms of ending the war in the Gaza Strip and delivering humanitarian aid in the Strip,” the ministry said.

1 May 2024 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

Biden to denounce ‘scourge of anti-Semitism’ in Capitol Hill speech

The White House says US President Joe Biden will take aim at what it terms a spike of anti-Semitism in a speech next week on Capitol Hill, as pro-Palestinian demonstrations are spreading across US universities.

The president, who is running for re-election later this year, will discuss “our moral duty to combat the rising scourge of anti-Semitism” and how his administration is combating it, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

The speech will come at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual Days of Remembrance ceremony, which has been held since the Carter administration.

The US president has given multiple impassioned speeches about the rise of anti-Semitism since the start of the war on Gaza after the October 7 attacks on Israel. He has also denounced the pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, which have led to many arrests across the country.

1 May 2024 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

Palestinians thank students protesting worldwide for their support

Palestinians have demonstrated in the city of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza to show their support for pro-Palestine protests at universities worldwide.

Demonstrators of all ages held Palestinian flags and signs with names of universities such as Columbia, UCLA, the University of Minnesota and Yale.

Student rallies have spread to dozens of schools across the US in recent days expressing opposition to Israel’s war on Gaza. Students in universities across the world have also joined by staging protests.

Palestinians in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip gather to show support for university students in the US, May 1, 2024 [Ramadan Abed/Reuters]
1 May 2024 - 20:50
 (20:50 GMT)

UNICEF chief: Gaza war ‘taking unimaginable toll on children’

Catherine Russell, the head of the UN’s fund for supporting children (UNICEF), says the war on Gaza must end and has warned of further devastation for Palestinian children as Israel promises an invasion of Rafah.

“Over 200 days of war have already killed or maimed tens of thousands of children in Gaza. For hundreds of thousands of children in the border city of Rafah, there is added fear of an escalated military operation that would bring catastrophe on top of catastrophe for children,” she said in a video message.

“Nearly all of the some 600,000 children now crammed into Rafah are either injured, sick, malnourished, traumatised or living with disabilities.”

1 May 2024 - 20:40
 (20:40 GMT)

Israel says ‘anti-Semitic’ Colombian president can’t change relations

The Israeli foreign minister says the “hate-filled and anti-Semitic” Colombian President Gustavo Petro cannot change bilateral relations that he claims “have always been warm”.

Israel Katz said in a post on X that the Colombian president – who announced hours earlier that the South American nation will sever diplomatic relations with Israel – is rewarding Hamas.

He said Israel will “continue to protect its citizens fearlessly” despite Colombia siding with “the most despicable monsters known to humanity”.

The Israeli military has killed more than 34,500 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, most of them women and children.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz says Colombia’s decision to cut political ties is a reward for Hamas [Sebastian Scheiner/Pool via Reuters]
1 May 2024 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

WHO says trying to restore partial functionality at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is working with its partners to restore partial functionality to the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza weeks after it was devastated by another Israeli military ground assault.

“The plan here is not to open the hospital as a whole, like the way it was before, but there is a minimum package of services that we expect at a secondary health care facility at this level,” said Husna Daffalla, a WHO coordinator.

She said that includes the maternity ward, operating theatres, the emergency department, paediatrics, an intensive care unit, and a newborn unit.

Hundreds of bodies were found in mass graves at the Nasser Hospital last month, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating.

1 May 2024 - 20:20
 (20:20 GMT)

Pro-Palestine protesters arrested at Arizona campuses

US police at two campuses in Arizona have cleared out encampments and arrested pro-Palestinian protesters, The AP reports.

Several people were arrested by police in riot gear at the University of Arizona in Tucson after President Robert Robbins directed school officials to “immediately enforce campus use policies”.

Additionally, about 20 people were arrested at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff on trespassing charges. Police dismantled a small fence made of chicken wire, as well as nearly two dozen tents.

At least a dozen other people were arrested at the University of Wisconsin in Madison as police removed tents erected by protesters.

Police pushed into the protesters with shields Wednesday morning, resulting in a scrum. Protesters chanted, “Students hold your ground”, and “Long live Palestine.”

Police have removed all but one of the tents that protesters erected. The protesters’ tents and belongings were loaded into a dump truck.

1 May 2024 - 20:10
 (20:10 GMT)

Netanyahu discusses ‘anti-Semitism on US campuses’ with Yeshiva University chief

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doubling down on his expressions of concern about “anti-Semitism” on university campuses across the US as students protest against the carnage in Gaza.

He had a meeting earlier on Wednesday at his office in Jerusalem with Ari Berman, a rabbi and the president of Yeshiva University.

The prime minister’s office said the two discussed ways of “combating anti-Semitism in US campuses” and Netanyahu welcomed an initiative to take US university presidents on an annual education programme in Poland.

The March of the Living, slated to be held later this month, is an event that focuses on educating students and university leaders on the Holocaust.

1 May 2024 - 20:00
 (20:00 GMT)

Pentagon says Gaza aid pier halfway complete

US Defence Department spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters that the country’s army has so-far complete more than 50 percent of a maritime pier that will eventually be placed off the coast of Gaza to speed the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave.

“As of today, we are over 50 percent complete on setting up the pier,” she said, adding that the pier has several different components.

“The floating pier has been completely constructed and set up. The causeway is in progress,” she continued.

The aid pier, initially announced by US President Joe Biden in March, has been criticised as inefficient by members of the UN and of international humanitarian NGOs. They argue that the best means to deliver desperately needed aid to starving Palestinians is by using existing land-based routes. Israel has been repeatedly criticised for blocking or slowing down the delivery of aid via these routes.

Antonio Guterres says it is ‘imperative’ that independent investigators are allowed immediate access to grave sites.

Published On 30 Apr 2024