In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort raid al-Karmil archaeological site in Yatta. Israeli settlers also raid ‘Ayn al-Hilweh, intimidating Palestinians in their homes. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers try to steal agricultural equipment in Kisan before being confronted by Palestinians. Israeli settlers also vandalize olive trees in al-Mughayyir. Israeli forces shoot and injure 2 Palestinians near the Jalama checkpoint. Israeli forces seal off the family home in Duma of a Palestinian accused of killing an Israeli child earlier this month in preparation for a punitive demolition. Elsewhere, Israeli forces arrest 7 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Jalazone refugee camp, Qabatiya, Balata refugee camp, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces assault Palestinians trying to enter the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Khan Yunis, Nuseirat refugee camp, Maghazi, Beit Lahiya, and Gaza City, killing at least 51 people. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces kill 1 fisherman and injure another. In Ramla, a Palestinian man is shot dead after allegedly stabbing an Israeli. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Kfarchouba, Tayr Harfa, Ayta ash Shaab, and Markaba. Israeli forces also assassinate Jama’a Islamiya member Mosab Khalaf, killing 1 other person in an airstrike near Meidoun. Hezbollah forces fire rockets at Shebaa Farms, killing an Israeli, and at military sites in the Golan Heights. In the Red Sea, Houthi forces attack a British-owned oil tanker and shoot down a U.S. drone. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/26; AJ, AP 4/27; AP 4/28; UNOCHA 4/29)
More than 34,356 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 14,520 children and 10,000 women, and around 77,386 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 477 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 117 children. More than 4,974 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 260 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,584 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 206 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. The UN Mine Action Service says it could take up to 14 years to clear the debris from Israeli bombings in Gaza. (AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 4/26; UNOCHA, UNOCHA 4/29)
The U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff chairperson Charles Brown says Israel is “building a buffer zone or bubble around the distribution of the pier” which will be used to offload trucks arriving from the U.S.-constructed floating pier when it is finished. According to the U.S. plans, a floating platform will be placed off the coast of Gaza where empty trucks will be loaded with aid arriving from Cyprus and then shipped to the pier in Gaza, west of Gaza City. (HA 4/26; NYT 4/27)
Hamas responds to an open letter from 18 countries calling for the release of the Israeli captives, saying it is open to proposals that address a permanent ceasefire and basic rights for Palestinians. A Chinese diplomat tells Reuters that China will host reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas. A Fatah official says head of the Fatah delegation for reconciliation Azzam al-Ahmad is leading a delegation that has left for China while a Hamas official says deputy head of Hamas’s external political bureau Moussa Abu Marzouk will be leading a Hamas delegation. (AJ, AJ, REU 4/26; HA, HA 4/27)
PA prime minister Mohammad Mustafa speaks with Dutch foreign minister Hans Bruins Slot, discussing the situation in Palestine and Dutch aid to UNRWA. The Dutch government separately says that it is considering resuming funding for UNRWA. (AJ, REU, WAFA 4/26)
The ICJ says it will announce its ruling in the Nicaraguan case against Germany for facilitating genocide in Gaza on 4/30. (AJ, WAFA 4/26)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says potential ICC arrest warrants against Israeli leaders will not change Israeli actions. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is lightly injured after his car overturns as it crashes into another car while running a red light. One of Ben-Gvir’s children and his bodyguard are also injured. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU 4/26; AJ 4/27)
Turkish president Recep Tayyib Erdogan says in a speech that Palestinians are “subjected to one of the most brutal oppressions in history” and calls Prime Minister Netanyahu “the butcher of Gaza.” (AJ 4/26)
U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan says there is new momentum in ceasefire talks. Axios reports that Israeli officials have told Egyptian counterparts that Israel will give negotiations “one last chance” before invading Rafah. Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate director Abbas Kamel is reportedly in Israel for ceasefire meetings. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells CNN that the framework for Saudi-Israeli normalization and a proposal for a 2-state solution could be presented before a ceasefire agreement is reached between Israel and Hamas. (AJ, AP, AX, HA 4/26; HA 4/27)
ABC News reports that the U.S. State Department will not sanction the Israeli military’s Netzah Yehuda battalion and 2 other battalions, despite determining that the units have violated international law. ABC says Secretary Blinken told House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in a letter that Israel has taken steps to address issues in the battalions. (ABC, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, REU 4/26; HA 4/27)
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says its planned flotilla to Gaza from Turkey has been delayed due to Israeli pressure on Guinea-Bissau where 2 of the 3 ships scheduled to take part are registered. The coalition says on 4/27 that the flotilla is further delayed after Guinea-Bissau removes its flag from the 2 vessels. (AJ 4/26; AP, REU 4/27; HA, HA 4/28)
Around 40 pro-Palestine protesters are arrested at the University of Colorado’s Auraria campus in Denver. 300 Yale University faculty call on the university’s administration to drop charges against 48 protesters who have been arrested at the school’s campus while taking part in pro-Palestine demonstrations. Pro-Palestine protesters have set up encampments on dozens of universities in the U.S., many of which have been raided by U.S. police. Secretary Blinken addresses the protests on U.S. campuses, saying he understands the passion but that it is “notable that there is silence about Hamas.” The student protest movement has also spread to universities in Australia, France, and the UK. In Germany, Berlin police disperse pro-Palestine protesters at a tent camp near the Chancellery. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, REU 4/26; AJ, AJ, AJ 4/27)
The EU donates $73 million in extra aid to Gaza focused on food deliveries, clean water, sanitation, and shelters. (AJ 4/26)