Israel-Palestine live: US and Israel air differences over Gaza strategy
Live Updates
A Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces early on Tuesday morning in the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
The ministry said a man was pronounced dead at the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.
Wafa news agency identified him as 26-year-old Yassin Abdallah al-Asmar. He was shot in the chest during confrontations with Israeli troops in Beitunia.
Another man was wounded after being shot in the foot, Wafa added.
On Monday, the Central Court in Haifa delivered a verdict, sentencing 24-year-old Qusai Abbas from Acre (known as Akka to Palestinians) to 17 years imprisonment and imposing a fine of 180,000 shekels.
Abbas was accused of several offences, including the "attempted murder of a Jewish citizen", along with accusations of "offences and terrorist acts motivated by racism".
This verdict comes in relation to the events of the May 2021 "Dignity Uprising', where the prosecution had initially sought a prison term ranging from 24 to 29 years.
Abbas's mother said: “I hold my head high for my son Qusai, and he will surely be released.”
Mother of Palestinian prisoner Qusai Abbas: “I hold my head high for my son Qusai, and he will surely be released.”
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) November 28, 2023
The Central Court in Haifa issued a ruling on Monday, sentencing 24-year-old Qusai Abbas from Akka to 17 years in prison and a fine of 180,000 shekels pic.twitter.com/O2s9raF0n5
The man accused of shooting and injuring three Palestinian college students on Saturday night in the north-eastern US state of Vermont was charged with attempted murder.
On Monday, Jason Eaton entered a plea of not guilty to charges of attempted murder and was instructed by the judge to be detained without bail.
Authorities have indicated that investigators are considering the incident as a potential hate crime.
The three 2o-year-old students, identified as Tahseen Ahmed of Trinity College Connecticut; Kinnan Abdel Hamid of Haverford College in Pennsylvania; and Hisham Awartani of Brown University, Rhode Island, are graduates of the Ramallah Friends School in the West Bank.
The Israeli government has been given a list of people held prisoner by Hamas in Gaza, who are anticipated to be released on Tuesday as part of the extended truce, as reported by Israel's Army Radio.
According to Axios, the list includes 10 captives.
As of now, there has been no official response from the prime minister's office regarding the matter.
Israel has agreed to add 50 female Palestinian prisoners to the roster of those scheduled for release in the event more Israelis are freed from Gaza, the Israeli prime minister's office announced on Tuesday.
It followed an announcement from Qatari mediators that the initially agreed four-day truce, aimed at facilitating a swap of Israeli captives for Palestinian detainees and due to end after Monday, had been prolonged for an additional two days.
Early on Tuesday, Israel announced the release of 33 Palestinian prisoners "during the night" as part of an agreement to release Israelis held prisoner in the Gaza Strip.
Prisoners who were sent to the occupied West Bank were released from Ofer prison, whereas those returning to occupied East Jerusalem were freed from Moscovia prison, as reported by Wafa news agency.
Previously freed Palestinians recounted harsh conditions in Israeli prisons, with some saying they were beaten before being hauled into buses.
Good evening Middle East Eye readers,
The number of Palestinians killed has passed the 15,000 mark.
Among the dead killed by Israel are more than 6,150 children and 4,000 women. An additional 7,000 Palestinians are missing and believed to be under rubble or their fate is unknown.
At least 4,700 children and women are missing. Palestinian deaths are likely to slow down for an additional two days after Qatar announced that it had secured an additional two days for the truce.
While Hamas, US President Joe Biden, and the EU have welcomed the two-day extension of the truce, Israel has yet to comment.
Eleven Israelis were also released in the last few hours and have now entered Israel. The truce extension agreed to by Qatar today will see an additional 20 Israelis being held in Gaza released in return for 60 Palestinians over the next two days. In other updates:
- Israeli police have conducted a number of raids on the houses of Palestinian prisoners expected to be released tonight
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel, the occupied West Bank, and the United Arab Emirates later this week, Reuters reported, citing a senior State Department official
- Nasser Beydoun, a businessman and Democrat running for the US Senate in Michigan, was offered $20m to drop out of the race, in a bid to help defeat Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
- More than a dozen state lawmakers and activists, including Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, started a hunger strike on Monday, calling for a permanent ceasefire
Nasser Beydoun, a businessman and Democrat running for the US Senate in Michigan, was offered $20m to drop out of the race, in a bid to help defeat Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Beydoun said: “I was offered $20 million to withdraw from the senatorial race and to run against my friend.”
“The pro-Israel lobby had the nerve to suggest that I would even consider taking a dime from them. This goes to show how easily an election can be bought and paid for in this country,” said Beydoun.
“Our country’s campaign finance system is broken, and the only people it benefits are the rich and powerful. I will not be bought. I will not back down. I will continue to run a grassroots campaign that puts America and its working class first,” he added.
Last week a prominent actor-turned-Michigan-politician was offered $20m to mount a primary challenge against Tlaib, underscoring the fierce blowback the Palestinian-American lawmaker is facing over her position on Israel.
“One of AIPAC’s biggest donors offered $20m if I dropped out of the U.S. Senate race to run against @RashidaTlaib,” US Democratic Senate candidate Hill Harper wrote on social media platform X. “I said no. I won’t be bossed, bullied, or bought.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel, the occupied West Bank, and the United Arab Emirates later this week, Reuters reported, citing a senior State Department official.
Blinken will be discussing with partners in the region “Washington’s principles” for the future of Gaza and the need to establish an independent Palestinian state.
The official said Blinken will also stress the need to maintain an increased flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza and improve protections for civilians in Gaza, as well as securing the release of all hostages.
Blinken will also attend the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai in the absence of US President Joe Biden.
The Israeli military said that 11 Israelis held in Gaza by Hamas have now arrived in Israel.
“After they undergo an initial medical assessment of their health, our forces will accompany them until they are reunited with their families,” the Israeli military said.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar, Majed al-Ansari, said that the original deal allowed for a one-day extension of the truce for every additional 10 Israelis released.
“We have from Hamas a confirmation now that 20 extra hostages will be released in the next two days,” the Qatari foreign ministry spokesman said.
“On the Palestinian side, that would mean that … 60 Palestinians will be released from Israeli prisons,” he added.
Israeli police have conducted a number of raids on the houses of Palestinian prisoners expected to be released tonight.
A large contingent of Israeli security forces stormed the homes of the families of the detainees: Nofot Hammad in Sheikh Jarrah; Adam Ghaith and Salah Al-Hadra in the town of Al-Tur; and Muhammad Muhannad Abu al-Homs in al-Issawiya, according to Palestinian media outlet, Wafa.
Israeli forces also warned them against holding any celebrations or gatherings.
Footage aired on Al Jazeera showed some Israeli captives walking towards a Red Cross car.
The Israeli army, in a social media post on X, confirmed that 11 Israelis have been handed to the Red Cross and are on their way to the country.
The number of Palestinians killed has passed the 15,000 mark, a Palestine spokesperson for the media office of the Palestinian Authority said.
The spokesperson added that among the dead are more than 6,150 children and 4,000 women.
An additional 7,000 Palestinians are missing and believed to be under rubble or their fate is unknown. At least 4,700 children and women are missing.
More than a dozen state lawmakers and activists, including Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, started a hunger strike on Monday, calling for a permanent ceasefire.
The five-day hunger strike is taking place outside the White House and includes state representatives from several states: Zohran Mamdani (New York); Madinah Wilson-Anton (Delaware); Sam Rasoul (Virginia); Abraham Aiyash (Michigan); Mauree Turner (Oklahoma).
Activists endorsing and participating in the strike include US Campaign for Palestinian Rights; Adalah Justice Project; Jewish Voice for Peace; IfNotNow movement; Dream Defenders; Democratic Socialists of America; Institute for Middle East Understanding; and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
“As the mother of Jewish children whose grandparents are Holocaust survivors, I have been asked by my son to use my platform to project as loudly as possible that ‘never again’ means never again for everyone. As an American, I am here to demand that our President stop funding the mass killing and starvation of thousands of innocent Palestinians, the majority of whom are children and women,” Cynthia Nixon said in a press release.
