At least 322 children killed since Israel’s new Gaza offensive, UNICEF says, Shocking video released by PRCS shows last moments of Gaza medics killed by Israel, Egypt makes new proposal to restore Gaza truce as Israeli strikes resume, UN reaffirms Francesca Albanese’s role as Special Rapporteur for Palestine, Israel escalates diplomatic and military pressure on Lebanon, US Envoy Morgan Ortagus visits Beirut in her second visit since taking office, Al-Qassam Brigades leader killed by Israeli army in Sidon, Complication between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL in Kfar Hammam, Prime Minister Salam said plan underway with World Bank to rebuild Lebanon’s south, French Court of Cassation annuls foreign property seizures targeting former BDL governor Riad Salameh, Optimum Invest at center of Salameh hearing on April 3, Lebanon signs agreement to combat illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking, Syria caught in a difficult position between Israel and Turkey, Damascus and the Kurds test cooperation in Aleppo, Israel approves guided tours for settlers in occupied southern Syrian territory, ️Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Bulgaria have signed a ‘memorandum of understanding’ to cooperate on a new green energy corridor, Syria’s southern city of Sweida on the brink, ‘Oops’: Trump shares video showing deadly strike on Houthis in Yemen, After two years of war Khartoum is slowly returning to normality, but RSF threaten to continue fighting in Darfour
The myth that there is a Western country that respects the rule of law, human rights, and democracy, to impose its civilizing values on the world, has vanished: and so has the illusion of it. A massacre stacks up on the chain of past ones, it is the paperwork column of a bureaucratic office – and even the boredom, the indifference of the contents of those documents, reminds one of a clerk’s insipid day. It does not touch, it does not make headlines, it does not even scandalize that a group of journalists are burnt alive in the tent they have been displaced in for eighteen months, in Khan Younis; that a fourteen-year-old Palestinian-American is executed on terrorism charges for throwing a stone, in the occupied West Bank; that Israel deny the evidence of the brutal massacre perpetrated against a group of doctors, slaughtered not in spite of – but as such, guilty of the absurd, titanic effrontery of trying to save lives, in the Gaza Strip: punished accordingly. And having exhumed the repugnant video that proves the guilt of the occupying soldiers – having exhumed the video, exhumed the corpses, thrown, with their hands tied, into a mass grave, barely covered with soil – Israel continues to deny, then justify, then ignore, waiting to carry out another massacre, yet another, even more unspeakable, even more unimaginable: to make people forget the previous one. Also to be covered with a few handfuls of sand – covering up, precisely, the evidence: like a pile of fifteen corpses, burying that evidence, at night, like thieves. As if it didn’t matter that, in killing the man, they couldn’t also kill the last video he carried on his mobile phone.
“Forgive me mother because I chose this way, the way of helping people,” he is heard saying in the last seconds, before the screen goes black, while in the background the artillery shots do not cease. He continues: “Accept my martyrdom, God, and forgive me.” To die so that the proof of one’s innocence might survive – therefore, to bear witness. This is in fact where the root of the Arabic word for martyrdom comes from: bearing witness. But even this no longer seems possible.
What we see of Gaza, and the mute possibility of accepting it, does tell us something of the past – of a past that has lasted for at least 77 years, not too far, despite someone else’s – but also of a future that does not seem so absurd that it could also touch us, soon: and even if not in the very same form, it will do it with the threat of being strangled by sanctions, of seeing Beirut razed to the ground, and the houses of the inhabitants of the border areas burned and vilified. Gaza will have become an unequivocal precedent: not, for historians, to coin a new term to describe genocide in the times of instant mass communication – but for survivors, to wish they were dead. For the grandchildren of the perpetrators, to be ashamed of being their relatives. And for the oppressors, to re-enact the greatest, most economical proving ground of the new millennium’s lethal weapons. Suffice it to say: “like in Gaza”, and we will remember the explosion at the Arab hospital in Al-Ahli; the flour massacre; the infants who died of starvation, cold and dysentery; the polio eradicated and nevertheless returned; the journalists, the paramedics, the families targeted during the holidays. Of the men chased by a drone, killed one after the other, of their futile strength to keep walking. Of the constant rumble of explosions that keeps one from sleeping. Of the selective blindness of the world outside, which continues to demand that the October 7 attacks be condemned, but does not see all that went before – and after, which dares not imagine what will be, now that it is beginning to be called into question, that its judging, approving, or repudiating, in the distant halls of parliament, its taking or not taking sides, will be marked, and remembered, by some, to determine the weight of a punitive tariff – and by others, along with the accountability for hundreds of massacres.
In Lebanon
Ortagus in Beirut: US Envoy Morgan Ortagus arrived in Beirut late Friday for her second visit since taking office, following an extended stay in Israel, and has scheduled meetings with Lebanese officials on Saturday to discuss escalating tensions in the south and efforts to maintain the fragile ceasefire.
During the meetings with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Ortagus commended “the measures taken by Lebanon at Beirut International Airport,” and called for the continued enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, though she did not specify a timeline. Her discussions also touched on the importance of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon and efforts to rebuild areas affected by the war. She stressed the value of resolving border disputes and outstanding matters with Israel. In response, Lebanese officials proposed either forming a technical military committee – modeled on the one that was used previously for maritime border talks – or reviving a shuttle diplomacy approach like that of former US Envoy Amos Hochstein. Ortagus responded positively to these suggestions.
While the US Envoy, as expected, took a firm stance, pressing for a clear timetable for Hezbollah’s disarmament – Lebanese officials, meanwhile, planned to push back, presenting a united front. President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri have agreed to demand an Israeli withdrawal from remaining occupied territories in southern Lebanon, the release of Lebanese detainees in Israel, and an end to violations and attacks on Lebanese territory. Lebanon insists indirect negotiations on land border demarcation can only begin after these conditions are met and Beirut has ruled out elevating the level of representation in these talks, seeking to avoid granting them political or diplomatic weight.
Washington, however, is first demanding a significant expansion of the Lebanese Army’s role south of the Litani River, mainly tasked with disarming Hezbollah and dismantling its infrastructure and protecting the border region. US officials also want three negotiation committees established to address Israeli withdrawal from seven occupied positions, the release of Lebanese detainees held in Israel and the demarcation of the land border.
Against this backdrop, two senior US senators – Republican Jim Risch and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, the latter whose husband is of Lebanese roots – urged the Lebanese Army to step up its role in securing the south. While both lawmakers reaffirmed strong bipartisan support for the Lebanese Army, they expressed frustration over being “too slow” in fulfilling ceasefire commitments. They described the current moment as “critical” for Lebanon, suggesting it offers an opportunity to curb Iranian influence in Beirut.
The senators also called on the Salam government to accelerate reforms recommended by the International Monetary Fund while warning against any political compromises with Hezbollah. In a direct warning, they singled out three Shiite ministers – Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine, Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar and Finance Minister Yassine Jaber – as well as Parliament Speaker Berri.
Israel escalates diplomatic and military pressure: Israel is also applying diplomatic pressure. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, speaking in Paris on Thursday, said Israel aims to “normalize relations with Lebanon,” though he acknowledged such a prospect “may seem premature from a Lebanese perspective.” Saar also referred to “ongoing negotiations,” saying: “We have a team negotiating the border disputes.” Saar also said that his country seeks stability in Lebanon but will not allow Hezbollah to rearm.
Defense Minister Israel Katz took a more combative tone. Speaking from an Israeli military position inside Lebanese territory on Wednesday, he vowed Israeli forces would maintain their presence indefinitely. “This is what victory looks like,” Katz said. “The Israeli army is here, protecting communities below and allowing them to continue their activities. And the villages on the other side are being crushed.” He estimated it could take up to five years for Lebanese civilians to return to their villages.
Maximum military pressure on Lebanon also continues. Israel is intensifying its operations and targeted assassinations, raising fears that Beirut’s southern suburbs might be struck more frequently. Behind the scenes, it is rumored that Israel intends to conduct its operations wherever it chooses and strike any target whenever an opportunity arises. On Thursday, the Israeli army carried out two drone strikes in southern Lebanon. The first hit a car on the Bint Jbeil-Yaroun road, Bint Jbeil, injuring two. The second targeted a car on the road leading to the village of Alma el-Chaab, in the Tyre district. Two men working on a construction site in a house in the village were in the targeted vehicle, and at least one was injured. Meanwhile, the Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, indicated on his X account that “the Israeli air force attacked a Hezbollah terrorist operating in the Alma el-Chaab area.”
Targeted assassination in Sidon: Early Friday, an Israeli drone strike targeted a residential apartment in the heart of the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, killing three people, including senior Hamas official Hassan Farhat, who Hamas later confirmed was a commander in its military wing, al-Qassem Brigades, and two of his children. Two missiles were launched around 3 am at the commander’s apartment in Sidon’s Dlaiaa neighborhood, in the center of the city, just a few dozen meters from the municipal buildings.
It is the first reported Israeli strike in Sidon since February 17, when a drone strike killed senior Hamas commander Mohammad Chahine. The Israeli army claimed that Farhat was planning attacks against Israel and that he was “responsible for launching rockets against the Safad region, which caused the death of an Israeli soldier and wounded other soldiers, on February 14, 2024.”
The Health Ministry confirmed the three deaths, which included Farhat’s son Hamza, also affiliated with Hamas, and his daughter Junan. “They were martyred in a Zionist airstrike that hit their home in Sidon in southern Lebanon on Friday morning,” Hamas said. Shortly after the attack, dozens of people staged a protest in the nearby Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, Lebanon’s largest, in solidarity with Gaza.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the Israeli strike, saying that “targeting the city of Sidon, or any other Lebanese region, is a blatant assault on Lebanese sovereignty and a clear violation of UN Resolution 1701 and the security arrangements agreement for the cessation of hostilities.” Salam stressed the need to “exert maximum pressure on Israel to compel it to halt its ongoing attacks on various areas, particularly residential areas,” and emphasized that a “complete cessation of military operations is necessary.”
Despite the ceasefire agreement that came into force on November 27, the Israeli army regularly carries out strikes in eastern and southern Lebanon. Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem warned on Saturday that if the Lebanese state failed to achieve political results in the face of Israeli violations, “other options” would be considered.
To normalize or not to normalize: “Yes to normalization with Israel if it protects us.” This statement made by Sunni Akkar MP Walid Baarini on Wednesday sparked controversy, especially during a time of US pressure on Lebanon to recognize its southern neighbor – a call that was met with rejection from Beirut and key political actors, even in the anti-Hezbollah camp. However, Baarini, a leading figure in the centrist National Moderation bloc, expressed support for the move on X, provided that it “would allow us to reclaim our territory, ensure it is not occupied, and bring peace and prosperity to Lebanon.”
“Yes to normalization and No to opposition to Arab paths, particularly the one led by Saudi Arabia,” he added, arguing that the issue could not be resolved through “one-upmanship.” This is not the first time Baarini has stepped out of the gray zone where he often positions himself, especially when Hezbollah was at the peak of its influence. After this most recent war that weakened Hezbollah, Baarini shifted his stance, expressing support for federalism and accusing Amal and Hezbollah of intimidating Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to impose their favored ministers in his Cabinet.
At a time when tensions have once again mounted between Hezbollah and Israel, Baarini went even further. The Lebanese authorities aim to expel Israel from Lebanese territory through diplomatic means, but without normalizing relations. Moreover, all sides agree that this is not the right time to bring up this issue, especially in the wake of a war that had a deep impact on the Shiite community.
This has led a significant number of actors, particularly within the Sunni community, to distance themselves from his statements. They reaffirmed their commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative, adopted in Beirut in 2002, which conditions any normalization with Israel on the creation of a Palestinian state.
Also Foreign Minister Joe Rajji stated on Friday that it is out of the question for Lebanon to normalize its relations with Israel. He declared this after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressed a wish to “normalize relations with Lebanon” and mentioned ongoing negotiations, although it might seem “premature from the Lebanese viewpoint.” “I do not know what the Israelis think, but I know what we want. We want a complete and unconditional Israeli withdrawal and a return to the 1949 armistice treaty. Normalization is out of the question, and direct political talks are also out of the question and rejected,” Rajji emphasized in an interview published by General Security.
Even Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Rai, during Thursday’s meeting between the Council of the Order of Journalists, made clear that the time has not yet come for Lebanon to normalize relations with Israel. “It is time to organize a national conference to cleanse the memory of our past, speak frankly, and reconcile,” he said. Rai, who closely follows current events, acknowledged signs of improvement in Lebanon but stressed that the Lebanese must remain aware of their responsibilities. He emphasized that the constitution defines Lebanon as a definitive homeland for all its citizens. “Our problem lies in the allegiance of some among us to foreign countries. We need to distinguish between friendships with foreign nations and allegiance to them. Our allegiance should be to our homeland,” he said, underscoring that internal unity is paramount.
Misunderstanding between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL: The entry Thursday of a patrol from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) into the village of Kfar Hammam in the Marjayoun district, without prior coordination with the Lebanese Army, caused a misunderstanding between the two parties. The information was first reported by Hezbollah’s Al-Manar channel and Al-Mayadeen, which is close to the party.
According to Al-Manar, the Lebanese Army immediately contacted the UNIFIL command to express its dissatisfaction, reproaching Finnish contingent soldiers for entering the village without stopping at a Lebanese military checkpoint, thus acting “outside the framework of coordination and respect for the established rules.”
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti stated that “the problem is resolved.” He denied any negligence on the part of the Finnish battalion and specified that “the Blue Helmets acted in accordance with UN Resolution 1701.” Tenenti recalled that “UNIFIL can conduct independent activities within its area of operations.”
UN Resolution 1701 significantly increased UNIFIL’s role, which has been present in southern Lebanon since 1978 to maintain peace at the border with Israel, and clarified the scope of its action. Article 12 mentions that the “Lebanese government authorizes UNIFIL to take all necessary measures in the sectors where its forces are deployed.”
The spokesperson for the Lebanese Army, General Elie Mezher, stated that he had “no information” about this incident, noting that UNIFIL usually conducts independent or joint patrols with the Lebanese Army in southern Lebanon, and that the former are typically carried out according to a “specific schedule” and by informing the army.
This misunderstanding comes at a time when some sources claim that the mission of the Blue Helmets could be threatened by the intransigence of US President Donald Trump, who might demand that UNIFIL’s mandate be placed under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter – which allows it to use force “to maintain or restore international peace and security” -, which Lebanon refuses. Moreover, while incidents between UNIFIL and Hezbollah, or villagers in areas loyal to the party, are often reported, those between the Blue Helmets and the Lebanese Army are rarer.
Reconstruction plan underway: The Lebanese government is developing a plan for rebuilding the south’s war-devastated villages in coordination with the World Bank, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced during a meeting with mayors from southern border towns. Both during its war with Hezbollah as well as during the ceasefire that ostensibly ended hostilities, Israel leveled entire neighborhoods – and in some cases nearly entire villages – in southern Lebanon. By early November 2024, more than a month into the war and with three weeks still to go, more than 40,000 housing units in southern Lebanon had been destroyed.
During his meeting with the delegation of mayors, Salam said he is focused on helping residents “secure the necessary support from the Lebanese state, to help them stay in their villages and rebuild their destroyed homes, without any injustice to any of them,” according to a report from the state-run National News Agency. Speaking ahead of the arrival of US envoy Morgan Ortagus to Beirut, the prime minister emphasized his government’s efforts to “end the Israeli occupation of the south.”
The reconstruction process – which Salam assured would be “fair” for villages and towns – will begin with the restoration of infrastructure such as roads, water, electricity, and telecommunications, Salam said, adding that a “plan is being developed with the World Bank.” According to Salam, three main issues arise with regard to addressing reconstruction in south Lebanon: “fairness in aid distribution, the necessity of ensuring stability, holding municipal elections, and the necessity of active participation.”
Kfar Shuba mayor Kassem al-Qadri addressed the issue of delayed compensations during the meeting, saying that “the state’s presence in our villages is still timid, as it has not yet been able to inspect all the damage and has not yet reached all villages. All the aid provided is food-related, while we also need electricity, water, and infrastructure.” He also told Salam of the need to appoint a person whose responsibility will be to coordinate on behalf of the border villages with ministries, and military and security commands.
The case of Riad Salameh’s foreign properties: In a ruling based on legal and procedural grounds, the French Court of Cassation annulled on Wednesday, April 2, the July 2023 seizures of properties owned by former Banque du Liban (BDL) Governor Riad Salameh in France, Belgium and the United Kingdom. France’s highest court thus overturned a decision by the appeals court, which had upheld the seizures in July 2023. Those had been ordered roughly a year earlier by French investigating judges Aude Buresi and Serge Tournaire.
As per French legal procedure, the case has been referred to an appeals court, which is expected to deliver a final verdict in six months. In November 2024, the Court of Cassation upheld the seizure of Paris real estate owned by Salameh’s former partner, according to a report by AFP.
In its ruling issued Wednesday, the Court of Cassation held that the investigative chamber failed to observe the legal principle whereby criminal law may apply only if one of the constituent elements of an offense committed by a foreign national against a foreign victim occurred on French territory. In the case of the properties located in Belgium and the United Kingdom, the victim of the alleged money laundering attributed to the former BDL governor is “the Lebanese state,” the court stated. Furthermore, the properties in question had been acquired outside French territory, through companies “none of which are French,” the court noted, leading it to conclude that the French judiciary lacked jurisdiction over those assets.
The investigation begins: At the same time, the first investigating judge of Mount Lebanon, Nicolas Mansour, has scheduled for April 3 the start of examining a file of prosecutions against the brokerage firm Optimum Invest and Riad Salameh, as well as several banks and their presidents. The investigation was initiated by former head of the appeal court Ghada Aoun before her retirement on March 1, 2025. The collective ‘The People Want System Reform,’ which positions itself as the defender of depositors and is notably represented by lawyers Hassan Bazzi and Pierre Haddad, became a civil party in September 2023.
Notably, a forensic report established in 2023 by the international firm Alvarez and Marsal concerning the BDL’s accounts prompted Judge Aoun to conduct investigations. According to this report, numerous irregularities in the Central Bank’s financial management were committed between 2015 and 2019. The former magistrate mentioned fund transfers from the ‘consultation account’ within the BDL to accounts opened with commercial banks, whose beneficiaries’ identities could not be known due to BDL’s refusal to disclose names. These funds were allegedly the result of the sale of Treasury bonds by the BDL to the brokerage firm, which repurchased them within a short period at increased prices.
The former magistrate also reported on an accounting report from another international audit firm, Kroll. She had reported on her X account on February 9 that “an amount representing commissions earned by the Central Bank in its transactions with Optimum Invest had left the consultation account. We do not yet know where this amount has gone,” she added. Kroll’s report was established at the request of the brokerage firm’s new direction.
By initiating her prosecutions, the former head of the appeal court relied notably on articles of the Penal Code relating to corruption and embezzlement, as well as on the law on illicit enrichment.
Combating illegal hunting: Lebanon’s Agriculture Ministry and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) have signed a memorandum of understanding to combat illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Thursday. The agreement, signed in the presence of Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani and several national and international stakeholders, outlines measures to establish responsible hunting zones, strengthen enforcement of environmental laws and enhance cooperation with security forces to protect biodiversity.
“The Agriculture Ministry plays a crucial role in environmental preservation, overseeing forests outside protected areas and regulating fishing – which also suffers from excessive practices, though less visible,” Hani said. Adonis Khatib, president of the Middle East Sustainable Hunting Center (MESHC), underscored the need to “involve” hunters in conservation efforts, arguing that they can become agents of change rather than sources of the problem.
Lebanon is a signatory to multiple international conventions, including the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Under the agreement, designated responsible hunting zones will be established based on scientific criteria to protect wildlife while sustaining local hunters’ livelihoods. SPNL Director-General Asaad Serhal stressed the importance of a structured framework that allows “hunting activities to coexist with biodiversity conservation.”
In The Region
Gaza, nightmare resumed: The United Nations Agency for Children (UNICEF) says that at least 322 children are reported to have been killed since Israel launched a renewed offensive in Gaza two weeks ago. UNICEF said at least 609 other children were reportedly wounded during the same period. “The ceasefire in Gaza provided a desperately needed lifeline for Gaza’s children and hope for a path to recovery,” said Executive Director Catherine Russell. “But children have again been plunged into a cycle of deadly violence and deprivation.”
Israel launched its renewed Gaza offensive on March 18, blaming Hamas for rejecting a new US proposal to extend the ceasefire and free the 59 hostages still held captive in Gaza. Hamas, in turn, accused Israel of violating the original deal they had agreed to in January. Relentless and indiscriminate bombardments had resumed in Gaza since then, with 100 children killed or maimed every day in the 10 days to March 31 – most of whom had been displaced and were sheltering in makeshift tents or damaged homes. In total, more than 50,399 people have been killed in Gaza during the ensuing war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Speaking about the brutal resuming of Israeli bombardments in Gaza, and the fate of the captives held there who are still alive, military spokesman for Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, warned in a statement – addressed to the Israeli army – that “half of the living enemy captives are located in areas that the occupation army has requested to evacuate in recent days. We have decided not to move these captives from these areas, and to keep them under strict security measures that are, however, extremely dangerous to their lives.” He continued: “If the enemy cares about the lives of these captives, it must immediately negotiate for their evacuation or release. The warning has been issued. The Netanyahu government bears full responsibility for the captives’ lives. If it truly cared about them, it would have abided by the agreement it signed in January – and most of them might have been home by now.”
At the same time, the humanitarian situation across Gaza has dramatically worsened in recent weeks, with Israel refusing to allow aid into the Gaza Strip since March 2 – the longest aid blockage since the war began. “Without these essential supplies, malnutrition, diseases and other preventable conditions will likely surge, leading to an increase in preventable child deaths,” UNICEF wrote in a press release. Meanwhile, in Gaza City, the ‘Mekorot’ water pipeline, which constitutes 70% of the water supply available to the city’s residents and those displaced to it, was shut down on Saturday, April 5.
The massacre of Rafah’s medics: A video recovered from the mobile phone of a Palestinian medic killed along with 14 of his colleagues in Gaza last month, on March 23, contradicts Israeli claims. The video – found on the phone of deceased Rifat Radwan and released on Saturday by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) – shows their final moments as the Palestinian medics, wearing highly reflective uniforms and inside a clearly identifiable PRCS ambulance, are shot at by Israeli forces in Rafah’s Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood in southern Gaza.
The Israeli military had said its soldiers “did not randomly attack” any ambulances, insisting they fired on “terrorists” approaching them in “suspicious vehicles”. It said, “several uncoordinated vehicles were identified advancing suspiciously toward Israeli army troops without headlights or emergency signals.”
PRCS lost eight of its workers in the attack. Six members of the Palestinian Civil Defence agency and an employee of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, were also killed that day. Their bodies were found buried near Rafah in what the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) described as a mass grave.
The video, apparently filmed from inside a moving vehicle, captures a red fire truck and ambulances driving through the night. The vehicles stop beside one another on the roadside, and two uniformed men exit. Moments later, intense gunfire erupts. In the video, the voices of two medics are heard – one saying, “the vehicle, the vehicle,” and another responding, “it seems to be an accident.” Seconds later, a volley of gunfire breaks out, and the screen goes black.
The medic recording the scene can later be heard reciting the Islamic declaration of faith, the Shahada, which Muslims traditionally say in the face of death. He is also heard saying: “Forgive me mother because I chose this way, the way of helping people.” He then says: “Accept my martyrdom, God, and forgive me.”
PRCS said the convoy was dispatched in response to emergency calls from civilians trapped following an Israeli bombardment in Rafah.
According to Gaza’s civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal, several members of their team were found with their hands and feet bound and visible bullet wounds on their heads and torsos, suggesting they were executed at close range after being identified for their humanitarian work. One of the civil defense personnel had been decapitated, and the remaining bodies were found in pieces, he said. Jonathan Whittall, the head of OCHA in the Palestinian territory, said the bodies of the humanitarian workers were “in their uniforms, still wearing gloves” when they were found.
The impossible truce: According to multiple Israeli media reports, Egypt has presented a new ceasefire proposal in an attempt to bridge the gap between Israel and the Palestinian resistance. Israeli sources say the political leadership believes that additional “military pressure” could change Hamas’ position on the various proposals. According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, the proposal involves the release of 5 Israeli captives from Gaza in exchange for a 50-day truce.
Another source, however, told Reuters that the Egyptian proposal includes a timeline for a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, backed by US guarantees, in exchange for the release of remaining hostages.
In addition, Axios reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit the White House on Monday, April 7. At first, US and Israeli officials anticipated the visit would occur later in April, around the 14th. However, talks between the White House and Netanyahu’s office on Friday led to the emergence of a plan for an earlier visit.
Francesca Albanese reaffirmed: Prominent pro-Palestine advocate Francesca Albanese will continue in her role as UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories until 2028, the UN Human Rights Council confirmed on Saturday. This follows the terms already set during her appointment in 2022, despite earlier reports suggesting that her three-year term was ending last week.
Pro-Israel advocates pushed against keeping Albanese in the position, claiming that the 58th session of the UNHRC on Friday was set to discuss her fate. However, several media outlets had reported that the continuation of Albanese’s tenure was made official during Friday’s session.
According to the UNHRC, Albanese was first appointed in April 2022, on the final day of the 49th session of the Human Rights Council, and officially began her role in May 2022. She is among the rapporteurs holding a country-specific mandate, which, unlike thematic mandates, is not divided into two terms of three years: the tenure of special rapporteurs is in fact limited to six years, and Albanese can serve in her role until 30 April 2028, as per the ‘no longer than six years’ principle.
Debate over Albanese’s role intensified after reports of pro-Israel groups, such as UN Watch, calling for her removal, accusing her of promoting ‘anti-semitis’ and ‘Hamas propaganda’. These groups have launched petitions urging the UN Human Rights Council not to renew her mandate, citing her pro-Palestine stance amidst Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
On Friday, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, condemned the alleged renewal of Albanese’s mandate as “a disgrace and a moral stain on the United Nations,” labelling her a “notorious antisemite” and accusing her of spreading “hateful rhetoric” targeting the Jewish people. According to the Times of Israel, Anne Bayefsky, director of New York-based Touro Institute on Human Rights and president of the Human Rights Voices group, has since called on the US to halt its funding to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
On the other hand, however, prominent pro-Palestine voices have rallied in support of Albanese.
Hungary leaves the ICC: Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu applauded Hungary for its “bold and principled” decision to leave the International Criminal Court as he visited Budapest on Thursday, a rare trip abroad in defiance of an ICC arrest warrant. Netanyahu, invited by Hungary’s right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, faces the ICC arrest warrant over allegations of war crimes in Gaza as Israel has expanded its military operation in the Palestinian enclave. Hungary, on its hand, has rejected the idea of arresting the Israeli prime minister and has called the warrant “brazen.”
In an announcement timed with Netanyahu’s visit on Thursday, Orban said Hungary would withdraw completely from the ICC, an organization set up more than two decades ago to prosecute those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. “This is no longer an impartial court, a rule-of-law court, but rather a political court. This has become the clearest in light of its decisions on Israel,” Orban said at a news conference with Netanyahu where they did not take questions. The Hungarian Prime Minister had already invited his Israeli counterpart to Budapest in November, a day after the arrest warrant was issued over Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Israel has since then rejected the ICC accusations, saying they are politically motivated and fueled by antisemitism. It says the ICC has lost all legitimacy by issuing the warrants against a democratically elected leader of a country exercising its right to self defense. “You stand with us at the EU, you stand with us at the UN and you’ve just taken a bold and principled position on the ICC… it’s important for all democracies to stand up to this corrupt organization,” Netanyahu told Orban.
The ICC’s Presidency of the Assembly of State Parties expressed concern about Hungary’s decision, urging it in a letter to continue to be a resolute party to the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, it said in a statement.
The visit to Hungary was Netanyahu’s second trip abroad since the ICC announced the warrants, following a visit to Washington in February. As a founding member of the ICC, Hungary is obliged to arrest and hand over anyone subject to a warrant from the court. Hungary ratified the ICC’s founding document in 2001, but the law has not been promulgated.
The ICC had also issued an arrest warrant against a Hamas leader Mohammed Deif whose death was confirmed after the warrant was issued. Prosecutors had also sought to arrest Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar. Both were killed before the request was approved. Commenting on the issue, the Palestinian militant group released a statement, saying: “The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, strongly condemns the Hungarian government’s announcement of its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which coincided with the visit of war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu – who is wanted by the Court for the horrific crimes committed by his fascist army against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. We consider this decision an immoral stance that represents blatant collusion with a war criminal evading international justice and a flagrant violation of international law and principles of human justice. Hungary’s decision is a blow to the principle of international justice and exemplifies the double standards practiced by some Western governments, foremost among them Hungary and the United States. It undermines the international judicial system, encourages impunity, and poses a direct threat to global peace and stability. We in Hamas call on the Hungarian government to immediately reverse this disgraceful and biased decision, uphold its legal obligations, and hand over war criminal Netanyahu to the International Criminal Court so that he may be held accountable for his crimes and receive the just punishment for the massacres and acts of genocide he has committed against our Palestinian people.”
Settler-colonial tours in south Syria: Israel has approved guided tours for settlers in occupied southern Syrian territory during the Jewish Passover holiday, which begins on 12 April. As part of this plan, the army will open the border fence at two specific locations under its control. This move facilitates tours organized by two “educational” institutions, Midreshet HaGolan and Midreshet Keshet Yonatan, into Wadi al-Ruqqad, a valley on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights that features a tributary of the Yarmouk River.
An invitation posted on the Hebrew website Kipa, states that the two institutions, “in cooperation with the Northern Command of the army and the 210th Division, invite the public to participate for the first time in tours to Wadi al-Ruqqad, located outside the Israeli-Syrian border… Until a few months ago, only a few Israelis were permitted to visit the valley.” The tours, according to the announcement, “will be held during the Pesach (Passover) holiday, twice daily, a morning tour and an afternoon tour.”
The Israeli-Turkish confrontation: Between the night of April 2 and early April 3, Israeli forces carried out several strikes in Syria, targeting in particular the vicinity of the Tiyas air base, known as T4, near Homs. According to information obtained by the Middle East Eye, Turkey is reportedly planning to take control of the base. “If you allow hostile forces to enter Syria and threaten Israeli security interests, you will pay a heavy price,” Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the day after the raids, addressing Syria’s interim President, Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar was more explicit. He said Israel is concerned at “the negative role” Turkey is playing in Syria, Lebanon and other countries.
Turkey, which said that Israel “has become the greatest threat to regional security” and urged it to “abandon its expansionist policies,” seems unlikely to give up its ambitions in Syria. As the country’s main backer, Ankara remains committed despite the Israeli threats.
Although Ankara normalized relations with Israel in 2022 with the appointment of an ambassador, relations have been strained since the war in Gaza. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, positioning himself as the defender of the Palestinian people, has regularly condemned the “genocide” in the enclave. He even compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Moreover, for years, Turkey provided a safe haven for Hamas’ political leaders.
On the eve of the strikes, Israeli media reported that Sharaa had freed members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad who had been imprisoned by the Assad regime. These allegations have not been confirmed.
A Syrian-Turkish defense pact in the making: Ankara has been negotiating with Damascus since the rebels, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took power, to conclude a bilateral defense pact. Air defense systems, surveillance equipment and armed drones could eventually be deployed at the T4 base and the Menagh base in Aleppo, where rehabilitation work reportedly began before Wednesday’s Israeli strikes.
In March, as Turkey’s increasing military presence in northern Syria began to be felt, Israel targeted the base near Homs twice, as well as the one in Tadmor, near Palmyra. Although not yet approved – as Moscow must give consent in advance – Turkey is reportedly considering temporarily transferring its Russian S-400 air defense systems to Syria, according to Middle East Eye.
This move would complicate Israeli operations in the country, which were previously unhindered under the Assad regime, in coordination with its Russian backer controlling the airspace. An Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post that the recent raids around Damascus, Hama, and Homs “are meant to send a message to Turkey: don’t establish a military base in Syria or interfere with Israeli activity in its skies.”
At the same time, in Washington, Turkey is making its case through its willingness to fight against the Islamic State organization (ISIS) group, which would allow the US forces to withdraw from Syria – leaving Ankara in control of the north and the Syrian-Turkish border.
With a US green light for its operations in Syria, however, Israel could continue to place Damascus in a precarious position, making it the first victim of this proxy confrontation. Moreover, Israel exploits the fears of minorities to weaken the central government, just as it had convinced Washington to allow Russia to keep its bases in Syria. While most Western sanctions against the former regime remain in place to this day, in fact, the Syrian government has so far delayed the agreement that is in the making with Ankara since December, seeking to balance its regional and international relations.
According to Israeli media outlet i24, a Syrian source claimed that Sharaa is expected to meet Trump during his trip to Saudi Arabia next month, at the request of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. This unconfirmed report came amid rumors regarding talks aimed at normalizing relations between Syria and Israel. However, Saudi Arabia does not seem willing to be as involved on the ground as Turkey.
Kurds withdraw from Aleppo: Last Monday, an agreement was reached between Aleppo’s official security authorities and the civil council of the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods, the two Kurdish strongholds in the north of the city, until now held by the People’s Protection Units (YPG). Under this agreement, YPG’s fighters, who dominate the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), will withdraw northeast of the Euphrates, and the role of security will be transferred from the Asayish – the Kurdish police – to the new authorities.
From now on, residents will come under the security umbrella of the Syrian Ministry of the Interior – a move that was part of the transitional central government’s goals and which marks another step in its efforts to integrate all components of society into the new national project, particularly minorities to whom Damascus has pledged protection.
The latest violence erupted on March 6, when deadly clashes broke out in the Alawite stronghold of Latakia between Assad loyalists and the new security forces, sparking renewed existential fears among minorities over the risk that Syria could fall under Islamist and vengeful hegemony. A few armed elements affiliated with Damascus authorities also entered Sheikh Maqsoud, injuring three Kurdish security personnel and a civilian. Seeking to make a strong political statement in the wake of this violence, Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, signed a historic deal on March 10 with Mazloum Abdi, the head of the SDF.
Though tentative, the deal ultimately promises the integration of the northeast’s autonomous Kurdish institutions into the state. The agreement signed on Monday in Aleppo appears to be the first concrete step, a local-level test. More specifically, it also outlines a kind of decentralization of the state in Kurdish areas. In this perspective, Damascus committed to granting the autonomous Kurdish authorities a seat in the municipal council and to keeping the schools and institutions they established in the two Aleppo neighborhoods in place, acknowledging the Kurdish administrative, cultural and linguistic specificities. These are unprecedented steps in Syrian history and were highly anticipated by the minority, whose rights were trampled under the Baathist regime’s 54 years of rule.
However, it is difficult to believe that cultural and linguistic rights will be guaranteed until they are officially recognized in the new Syrian Constitution. Experts express concern that the provisional constitution drafted by the interim government currently moves in the opposite direction. At the same time, the Kurdish administration rejected the new interim government’s claim of legitimacy upon its creation, deeming it insufficiently representative.
Sweida on the brink: Last Thursday, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri – the spiritual leader of Syria’s minority Druze sect – delivered his most strongly worded statement yet directed at the country’s new administration. “We are at a stage of ‘to be or not to be,’ working for our interest as a sect. No understanding or agreement with the government in Damascus,” he vowed, calling it an “extremist government in every sense of the word, wanted by international justice” in a video posted online. Hours later, local military groups took to main streets and central squares in Syria’s southern Sweida province, raising the Druze flag and firing into the air.
A day earlier, al-Hijri’s said, a document surfaced online bearing the signature of Sweida’s governor, Mustafa Bakour, along with several figures from the province, suggesting an agreement had been reached with Damascus following a meeting that al-Hijri himself had attended. Among its key points: the immediate activation of the judicial police and security files under the Interior Ministry, organization of all defected officers, individuals and armed factions under the Defense Ministry and the recognition of the signatories to the document as a follow-up committee to oversee the implementation of its terms.
However, hours after the document went viral on social media, local media in Sweida quoted an unnamed source in the province’s spiritual leadership saying it included nothing more than “requests” presented by those who met at Dar al-Qanawat— al-Hijri’s headquarters – to the new administration. Notably, al-Hijri did not sign the document, though his name was explicitly mentioned in its introduction. Others similarly listed, like Governor Bakour, did sign.
While the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria reached a landmark agreement with Damascus on March 10, Sweida remains mired in international tensions, preventing it from finalizing a deal with the new administration, led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Sheikh al-Hijri’s stance reflects in fact the hard-liner camp within this province. This camp includes a portion of local military factions, including the recently formed Sweida Military Council, the Supreme Forces and the Sheikh al-Karama Forces. Among the most prominent ones, the Sweida Military Council, first emerged after the Assad regime was toppled in December 2024, formed by a group of retired officers and defectors and local military groups.
On the other side, those calling for more openness with Damascus and involvement in its institutions include the Men of Dignity – one of Sweida’s largest and oldest factions – alongside Ahrar Jabal al-Arab, the Sultan Pasha al-Atrash Battalion and military forces led by Laith al-Balous, the son of Men of Dignity founder Sheikh Wahid al-Balous. The Men of Dignity continue negotiations with the new Syrian government to “clarify contracts, salaries and the military and ideological structure of the army,” its spokesperson, Abu Taymour, stated. There is “understanding and progress, but the matter may take more time given the sensitivity of Sweida,” he added. “The movement has no conditions for integrating with the Defense Ministry, but we want clarifications and reassurances.”
Divisions in Sweida peaked in early March, when eight vehicles bearing the logo of the new government’s General Security Service entered the province, prompting rumors that some factions had signed an agreement with Damascus. Citing “informed sources,” local media outlet Sweida 24 reported that the Interior Ministry had agreed to support Sweida with logistical supplies that were received by local factions, aiming to “strengthen the work of judicial police to counter rising crime.”
A new energy corridor: ️Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Bulgaria have signed a ‘memorandum of understanding’ to cooperate on a new green energy corridor. The agreement was signed during the 11th Southern Gas Corridor and 3rd Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meetings in Baku on Friday, April 4.
Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said on X, “This marks the launch of another regional project in the field of green energy, with Azerbaijan as the source.” He added that the project will boost renewable energy transmission, trade, and regional energy security.
Having already approved a draft on February 7, 2025, the memorandum has a three-year term, and can be extended automatically by further three-year intervals providing none of the parties choose to terminate it. The document reflects the parties’ agreements on undertaking joint green electricity projects, building essential infrastructure, exchanging knowledge and technologies and supporting mutually beneficial initiatives.
The document stipulates that the four countries’ Energy Ministries work to strengthen collaboration between public and private sectors in exploring opportunities to modernize energy systems and implementing joint investment projects aimed at expanding the possibilities of electricity transmission and trading, aiming to bring about improvements in energy infrastructure and enhancing measures to incentivize the use of renewable energy sources.
“Oops”: US President Donald Trump on Friday posted a video purportedly showing dozens of Houthi fighters being killed in an American strike on Yemen, adding the comment ‘oops.’ Resembling images shot from military drones or other loitering aircraft, the black-and-white footage Trump posted to his social network shows several dozen human figures from an almost vertical angle. “These Houthis gathered for instructions on an attack,” Trump wrote in an accompanying text. “Oops, there will be no attack by these Houthis,” the US added. “They will never sink our ships again!” The Houthis, however, deny they were hit, and independent observers say it appears instead to be an attack on civilians gathered to celebrate Eid.
American forces have carried out major raids on Yemen in recent weeks in response to the group’s attacks on Red Sea shipping. Gathered in a loose oval along a road, the people in the video are superimposed with a gun camera-style crosshair. A few seconds in, a bright flash appears in the middle of the scene, followed by billowing smoke. The footage cuts to a wider shot showing a column of smoke over the apparent impact site and several vehicles parked further up the road. The camera then cuts closer again to show a broad crater at the point of impact. No bodies are readily identifiable.
Officials and media outlets belonging to the Houthis have reported multiple deaths in dozens of strikes this week that they blamed on the United States. The group has attacked commercial and military shipping in what it says is a response to Israel’s campaign in the Gaza Strip. Only on Sunday, April 6, United States air strikes have killed at least four people in Yemen’s Sanaa, according to the Ministry of Health. The latest attacks on the capital have hit a home and wounded more than 20 other people, including four women and children, according to local sources. US warplanes launched three other air strikes on the Al Jabal al Aswad area in the Bani Matar district, west of the capital. No details were available regarding casualties. Earlier, the Houthis said US air strikes killed at least two people overnight in a Houthi stronghold, Saada, and wounded nine.
Washington said Wednesday it would send a second aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, to join the USS Harry S. Truman in the Middle East “to continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region.” Dozens of people in Yemen have been killed in the latest US strikes since Trump ordered them to resume last month. Civilians have been targeted, families wiped out, military sites destroyed and soldiers killed. The White House said there have been more than 200 strikes so far.
After battle for Khartoum, Darfur: When, in the aftermath of the capital’s airport recapture, Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has declared: “Khartoum is free,” many expected it didn’t mean the war was over. It was March 26, and Al-Burhan was speaking from the presidential palace that government forces took control of in a key victory: it was his first time inside the presidential palace for nearly two years, that have killed, in total, tens of thousands of people, uprooted more than 12 million and created the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises.
In a pivotal development in a two-year-old conflict against the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF), SAF soldiers encircled areas surrounding the airport in the Sudanese capital, with the paramilitary’s forces fleeing across a bridge out of that part Khartoum. RSF fighters had been stationed inside the airport, just east of central Khartoum’s government and business district, since the war began. The army also managed to secure both sides of the Manshiya Bridge, which crosses the Blue Nile River in Khartoum, leaving the Jabal Awliya Bridge just south of the capital as the only crossing out of the area still under RSF control.
Across the city, witnesses and activists reported that RSF fighters have been retreating southwards from neighborhoods they previously controlled, ostensibly towards Jabal Awliya. Witnesses said that RSF had mainly stationed its forces in southern Khartoum to secure their withdrawal from the capital via bridges to the neighboring city of Omdurman.
After recapturing the city, the Sudanese government is trying to restore normal life in the Khartoum area, which includes the city of the same name, Omdurman, and Bahrī. In its first meeting at Khartoum headquarters since the outbreak of the war, the Khartoum State Administration announced a package of urgent emergency measures on April 2, including resolving water and electricity supply problems, operating hospitals, providing urgent food aid, and improving environmental conditions.
Later on Thursday, April 4, citizens were able to cross the Omdurman Bridge into Khartoum for the first time since the outbreak of war: a satellite city of Khartoum, Omdurman had been captured by the RSF since the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, taking control of large parts of the administrative districts, including the Presidential Palace.
However, the paramilitary force still has fighters in other parts of the country. Not only during their withdrawal from Khartoum State, RSF militants allegedly committed crimes against the civilian population (according to local authorities, at least 89 people were killed by the RSF on March 27 in some villages north of Omdurman), but after Khartoum’s recapture, fighting will likely escalate around the city of El Fasher as the RSF seeks to consolidate control over Darfur, which will heighten the risk of a violent spillover into neighboring Chad. Meanwhile, RSF Deputy Commander Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo threatened in a video posted on March 30 that the group had tactically repositioned outside Khartoum, meaning to invade two northern States, thus signaling his intention to continue the war despite recent defeats.
What We’re Reading
On banking secrecy and restructuration: Lebanon’s newly appointed Central Bank governor, Karim Souaid, finds himself navigating a complex and contentious landscape as the country grapples with banking secrecy reforms and financial sector restructuring, Maan Barazy reported. Despite his pivotal role in overseeing the country’s monetary policies and banking sector, key amendments – such as those to the banking secrecy law and the proposed restructuring measures – were advanced without his full involvement or consultation. This exclusion raises concerns about the transparency and inclusivity of the reform process, particularly as Lebanon faces mounting pressure to meet IMF requirements.
A new governor for the BDL: The decision comes at a critical moment for a country grappling with severe financial distress, compounded by ongoing political and economic crises, as well as the recent war between Hezbollah and Israel, which inflicted millions of dollars in losses on the state’s finances, wrote NOW’s Rodayna Raydan. Souaid was chosen to succeed Riad Salameh, who is currently under arrest on charges of embezzlement of public funds. Salameh’s term had officially ended in 2023.
Fractured narratives: On April 2, 1981, the city of Zahle became the epicenter of a fierce and consequential siege. Syrian forces, initially portrayed as stabilizers of Lebanon’s chaotic civil war, clearly demonstrated their pursuit of dominance rather than genuine protection of Lebanese sovereignty. The siege was brutal, costly, and symbolic. It reflected the ongoing reality of foreign interventions deepening Lebanon’s internal fractures. An historical analysis by Ramzi Abou Ismail.
Negotiating for local representation: After repeated postponement of Lebanon’s municipal elections, the time to vote has finally come, Valeria Rando reported. However, with the exclusion of displaced residents from destroyed and Israeli-occupied villages, the risk is to weaken representative democracy and governance even further: something the country cannot afford, especially at a local level.
