The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a draft resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip. 26 countries supported the motion, 13 abstained and 6 against.
CNN, citing sources, reported that the United States has approved the transfer of 2,000 bombs to Israel, half of which are 500-pound bombs. The concession, however, would have a counterpart: Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared: “If we don’t see the changes we need from Israel, there will be changes in our politics.”
Even Donald Trump entered the Israeli political arena and said: “I advise Netanyahu to quickly end the war and return to normal life (…) Israel is definitively losing the public relations war.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez believes that: “The European Union will have to discuss whether to continue strategic relations with Israel in case the European Commission deems it to have violated international law.”
The Polish Deputy Foreign Minister said that the Israeli ambassador to Warsaw, Yaakov Livna, received a letter of protest over the killing of a Polish aid worker in the Gaza Strip and demanded an apology from Israel. The Poles are demanding disciplinary measures against the military personnel involved in the incident and request the participation of the Polish prosecutor’s office in the investigation. The information provided by Israel on the investigation is insufficient, but Poland “sees a change in the tone of events.”
The United Arab Emirates stopped “diplomatic coordination” with Israel on April 4, Israeli media reported. Israeli authorities have suspended the work of 28 diplomatic missions around the world due to the threat from Iran. This was stated by the Sky news channel Arabiya.
According to Sky “28 diplomatic missions have been closed after Iran’s threat to respond to the attack on its consulate in Damascus”. On April 4, Kan radio reported that, as part of an “unprecedented preparation” for Iran’s planned response to the attack blamed on Israel in Damascus, the Israeli Foreign Ministry, in consultation with security officials, has decided to evacuate a number of its embassies around the world.
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel takes any threat to it seriously and that fighter planes are prepared for “a variety of scenarios.” “For six months we have been fighting a war on multiple fronts. We are on maximum alert in all fields. We continually monitor and disrupt threats on multiple fronts and are at a high level of war readiness. We constantly evaluate and take any accusation and all enemies seriously,” says Hagari.
“We have increased combat readiness in combat units, strengthened air defense systems and have aircraft prepared to defend and ready to attack,” “The IDF is deployed on all borders and is ready for a variety of scenarios.” “We must not be complacent and, at the same time, it is important for me to underline that there will be no changes in the instructions of the logistics command,” continues Hagari. “Your responsible behavior on the home front is what saves lives. My only advice is to be vigilant, move with the times and follow the changes,” he adds. Israel would have called for the conscription of yeshivah (religious school) students for military service in Israel.
According to ICAD sources, Israel tested a system of highly destructive laser bombs during the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus which left no living being in the targeted location and created a hole over 15 meters deep. This is an Israeli experiment for an alleged operation aimed at hitting the Iranian nuclear reactor in Qom to study the type of bombs that can be used.
According to the newspaper Al-Mayadeen, close to Hezbollah, Iran’s “immediate retaliation” could potentially take place on April 8. Israeli channel Channel 12 says Iran will opt for direct attacks on Israeli territory in response to the airstrike on Damascus. The Israeli military is apparently “preparing for direct war” with Iran.
Sources close to the IRGC say the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force will strike vital targets in Israel this evening in response to the attack on Damascus. However, no official Iranian source specified the expected direct or indirect attack timing. Other sources report that Iran informed the United States through the Swiss embassy in Tehran that it would strike Israeli targets.
In the late afternoon of April 4, an explosion was recorded in a military base belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the city of Rask in Iran and there were clashes in the Chabahar military base.
Finally, on April 5, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani to Al-Mayadeen: “Israel” will receive a heavy blow for the assassination of advisors in Damascus.
Houthi leader Abd al-Malek al-Houthi reported that 37 people were killed and 30 wounded in 424 US and British strikes in Yemen. And he declared that: “Since the beginning of the war we have attacked 90 ships.”
Among these was a frigate from Denmark, an attack that cost the sack of the Danish Chief of Defense Staff, who was fired for having covered up an incident involving a ship that took part in the operation against the Houthis.
The Houthis reportedly launched four drones against the Danish frigate. The Danish frigate’s air defense system reported a system error for a while and crashed. Somehow something was fired, more than half of the shells proved ineffective and exploded in the air. The ship’s radar system was hit. And the ship was returned to Denmark.
Bulgarian police discovered a cache of weapons linked to four suspected Hamas members arrested in Germany, three, and the Netherlands, one, in December on suspicion of planning attacks on Jewish targets in Europe. Hamas leader Osama Hamdan reiterated that “The movement has shown great flexibility and positivity to facilitate the achievement of a ceasefire agreement.” “The Israeli government is evasive, the negotiations proceed in a vicious circle and Netanyahu continues to place obstacles in the way of reaching an agreement.”
And now a look at the front between Israel and Hamas updated at 4:00 pm on April 5th.
The IDF reports that two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip towards Netivot were intercepted by the Iron Dome complex. While a missile or drone landed in the settlement of Manot in the Western Galilee, causing serious damage to the place. Sirens heard in Afdoun, Manot and Neve Zev in the Western Galilee for fear of drone infiltration. Manot hit, damage to a building.
Hezbollah and the Islamic Resistance claim attack against a military vehicle at the entrance to the Metulla site with a guided missile. Israel responds by shooting at Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon and Kafr Kila, also destroying Lebanese army vehicles.
In northern Gaza: Israeli planes attacked Beit Lahia and Sheikh Zayed. And again, continuous bombing by occupation planes and artillery against Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip.
In central Gaza the occupation artillery targets the vicinity of the prisoner towers north of the Nuseirat camp, in the center of the Gaza Strip violent artillery bombardments are also recorded east of the Bureij camp.
In southern Gaza, Israel bombed the city of Khan Yunis with aircraft and artillery fire from vehicles in the center and west.
Clashes are reported between young Palestinians and Israeli forces in the city of Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem. Israeli forces stormed several villages in Jenin Governorate in the northern West Bank, reinforced with military vehicles. Explosive device against Israeli forces launched during the assault on the new Askar camp, shooting followed east of Nablus. IDF storms the town of Dura, south of Hebron, and raids the house of the late Moamen Masalmeh, head of the Qan Yaghan operation. Clashes and explosions after the discovery of a special force of the occupation army in the Nour Shams camp in Tulkarem. The suburb of Artah, south of Tulkarem, was stormed by the IDF, coinciding with the assault on the Nour Shams camp. Arrests made.
Shooting by Israeli vehicles east of Rafah, around the airport, in conjunction with artillery shelling of the area. Israel launches rocket bombs into the Rafah Sea.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
