Israel-Hamas war day 185: What's happening in Gaza, Lebanon?

Amnesty International described terrorist Walid Daqqah as a "Palestinian writer" in statements mourning his death from cancer in prison on Monday, castigating Israel while downplaying his command of a cell that abducted, tortured, and murdered an Israeli soldier in 1984.

The death in custody of Walid Daqqa, a 62-year-old Palestinian writer who was the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails after 38 years of imprisonment, is a cruel reminder of Israel’s disregard for Palestinians’ right to life ⬇️https://t.co/hSz0gdZgVj

— Amnesty International (@amnesty) April 8, 2024

"The death in custody of Walid Daqqa, a 62-year-old Palestinian writer who was the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails after 38 years of imprisonment, is a cruel reminder of Israel’s disregard for Palestinians’ right to life," said AI in a tweet on Monday that made no mention of his affiliation with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Mention of his role in the murder of Israeli soldier Moshe Tamam is only made at the bottom of the AI website statement. AI gave few details of the incident, only noting that "Daqqah was not convicted of carrying out the murder himself, but of commanding the group, an accusation he always rejected, and his conviction was based on British emergency regulations dating back to 1945, which require a much lower standard of proof for conviction than Israeli criminal law."

Amid escalating tensions between Ankara and Jerusalem, Turkey restricted exports of a wide range of products to Israel on Tuesday, saying the restrictions will remain in force until a ceasefire is declared in Gaza.

It took this step after Israel rejected a Turkish request to take part in an aid air-drop operation into Gaza. Ankara has prided itself on the humanitarian assistance it has provided to Gaza.

The Turkish Trade Ministry said the economic measures would apply to the export of products in 54 different categories, including iron, marble, steel, cement, aluminum, brick, fertilizer, construction equipment, aviation fuel, and more.

“This decision will remain in place until Israel, under its obligations emanating from international law, urgently declares a ceasefire in Gaza and allows the unhindered flow of sufficient humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip,” it said.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) editorial board slammed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats in an editorial on Tuesday for their signing of a letter urging President Joe Biden to stop the transfer of weapons to Israel.

"Denying weapons to an ally in the middle of a war is the definition of betrayal," the newspaper's editorial board wrote, labeling Pelosi a "sunshine ally."

The letter was signed by dozens of Democrats after Israel mistakenly killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers last week.

On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported the demolition of three significant Hamas attack tunnels in the southern Gaza area of Khan Yunis. One of these tunnels extended several hundred meters into Israeli territory and had been monitored by Israeli forces in recent years.

This tunnel, which the IDF discovered in 2019, was being monitored for Hamas use. "This tunnel was detected by the IDF during the construction of the barrier and since then has been clandestinely under IDF control. Inside the tunnel, IDF soldiers placed explosives and sensors," said Daniel Hagari, IDF spokesperson, during a televised statement on Saturday. 

Construction of the IDF's underground barrier concluded in 2021, and the IDF has asserted for years that no more tunnels were penetrating Israeli territory. 

Former Deputy National Security Advisor and Vice President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, Dr. Eran Lerman, told The Media Line that he believes the IDF did not publicly announce their knowledge of this penetrating tunnel in an attempt to mislead Hamas in terms of what Israel knows regarding their tunnels. 

Germany denied accusations on Tuesday that it was aiding genocide in Gaza by selling Israel arms in a suit to the top UN court by Nicaragua, reflecting mounting legal action in support of Palestinians.

Germany has been one of Israel's staunchest allies since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas militants and retaliatory offensive. It is one of its biggest military suppliers, sending 326.5 million euros ($353.70 million) in equipment and weapons in 2023, according to Economy Ministry data.

Spain intends to sway the European Union to support unilateral Palestinian statehood, Australia gave a nod in that direction, and the United Nations Security Council is considering whether to recognize Palestine as its 194th member.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is expected to meet with his counterparts from Norway, Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia, and Belgium later this week to focus on the EU’s position regarding the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, government spokesperson Pilar Alegria said Tuesday.

“We want to stop the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and help kick-start a political peace process leading to the realization of the two-state solution as early as possible,” she told reporters.

The CIA's proposal for a hostage deal includes the release of 900 Palestinian prisoners, a senior Israeli source told Kan News on Tuesday.

Included in the 900 prisoners at 100 "heavy" prisoners.

The term "heavy" prisoner refers to the high-profile nature of the crime for which said inmate was imprisoned, with Palestinians imprisoned for murdering Israelis in terror attacks considered "heavier" than inmates with no blood on their hands.

The source further said that in return, Israel demanded that it retain the right of veto over some of the prisoners and that it be allowed to exile those it releases outside the precincts of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. 

British foreign minister David Cameron said on Tuesday that Britain's position on arms sales to Israel remained unchanged after the latest assessment of the government's legal advice.

"The latest assessment leaves our position on export licences unchanged. This is consistent with the advice that I and other ministers have received," Cameron said at a press conference with his U.S. counterpart in Washington. "And as ever, we will keep the position under review."

Last week, three former senior UK judges joined more than 600 members of the British legal profession in calling for the government to halt arms sales to Israel, saying it could make Britain complicit in genocide in Gaza.

Britain supplied 42 million pounds ($53 million) of arms to Israel in 2022.

Widows of IDF soldiers who have fallen in the Israel-Hamas war told a Knesset meeting of the  Committee on the Status of Women Tuesday that the help they have received from the state is not enough.

“The stipend provided by the Defense Ministry is not enough for education, enrichment, and making a respectable living,” said Raz Tahan, whose husband Ran was killed in Gaza. Tahan’s sister left her job and moved in with her to help with her four children full time, but this help is not enough, said Tahan.

“There were important, respectable people who came to the shiva and told me ‘With all the grief in this, at least you can be calm because you are an IDF widow and your children are IDF orphans.’ They lied to me. It’s not true [that we are getting enough support], we are not managing,” said Tahan. “We need help,” she added.

Dozens of hostage family members gathered outside the war cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Tuesday, calling to arrive at a hostage deal, according to the Hostage and Missing Families Forum.

The families called to liberate the hostages before Passover, the holiday where Jews celebrate the biblical exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. 

"Our whole family came here to support the other 132 hostages and to tell the Israeli government and the members of the cabinet that their time is up," said Efrat Machikawa, niece of hostage Oded Moses, who turned 80 while in captivity in the Gaza Strip.