Palestine

01 April 2024; MEMO: The new Palestinian government, led by Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, should prepare for holding legislative and presidential elections in all Palestinian governorates, especially in East Jerusalem, President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday, Anadolu news agency reported.

Abbas’s remarks came on the occasion of the new government’s swearing-in ceremony, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

02 April 2024; MEMO: Despite the Israeli army’s destruction of scores of mosques in the Gaza Strip, the call to prayer (Adhan) still resonates from these houses of worship at its designated times, Anadolu news agency reported.

In northern Gaza, the minaret of the Masjid al-Awda still stands tall, though the Israeli air strikes destroyed the mosque during the ongoing war since 7 October 2023.

28 March 2024; MEMO: Spanish military aircraft delivered 26 tonnes of humanitarian aid yesterday to Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip, with Madrid urging Israel to open land border crossings to prevent famine, according to the Foreign Ministry.

28 March 2024; MEMO: Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa, formed a new cabinet on Thursday, in which he will also serve as Foreign Minister, making an immediate ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza a top priority, Palestinian news agency, WAFA, reported.

27 March 2024; MEMO: Hamas vowed, Wednesday, that it will not release any Israeli hostage in its captivity until its demands are fulfilled, Anadolu Agency reports.

Hamas demands an end to Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Territory for any hostage-prisoner swap deal with Tel Aviv.

27 March 2024; MEMO: Documented testimonies have been collected regarding the execution of Palestinian children in Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces in and around Al-Shifa Hospital, at a time when a UN expert has confirmed her belief that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

27 March 2024; MEMO: Palestinians are describing a temporary pier being constructed by the US on the shores of Gaza City as an “occupation port”, Anadolu Agency reports.

US President Joe Biden, on 7 March, announced that he had tasked the US military with building a temporary pier off Gaza for the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid, as Israel continues to let only a trickle of aid into the enclave by land.

24 March 2024; MEMO: At least 19 Palestinians were killed and 23 others injured in an Israeli attack targeting civilians who were waiting for aid southeast of Gaza City, the Gaza Media Office stated on Saturday, Anadolu Agency reports.

“The Israeli occupation commits a massacre, killing 19 and injuring 23 civilians while thousands of citizens were waiting for flour and aid near Al-Kuwait roundabout,” the media office said in a statement.

24 March 2024; MEMO: An Israeli hostage in Gaza died due to a shortage of medicine and food, Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said on Saturday, Anadolu reports.

“We announce the death of the Zionist captive Yejiv Bukhattaf, 34, due to shortages of medicine and food,” Al-Qassam stated via Telegram.

24 March 2024; MEMO: More than 100 Israeli settlers forced their way into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Sunday to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim, according to a Palestinian agency, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a statement, the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf Department, which oversees the holy sites in Jerusalem, said the settlers entered the site through the mosque’s al-Maghariba Gate under police protection.