In the West Bank, Israeli forces raid Nur Shams refugee camp, injuring a Palestinian and destroying infrastructure. Israeli forces also raid Beit Umar, causing tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces ram and injure a Palestinian girl with the vehicle during a raid in Ya’bad. Israeli forces also seize a Palestinian vehicle during a raid in Deir Balut. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 40 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jericho, Hebron, and Jerusalem. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Shati’ refugee camp, Khan Yunis, Gaza City, Dayr al-Balah, Jabalia refugee camp, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 71 people. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Khiam and Kafr Kila, killing 2 members of Hezbollah. Hezbollah forces fire 2 rockets at Kibbutz Yir’on, causing damage. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/18; UNOCHA 4/19; UNOCHA 4/22)
More than 33,970 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 14,520 children and 10,000 women, and around 76,770 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 456 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 114 children. More than 4,890 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, 259 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,574 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. An Al Jazeera investigation finds that Israel has damaged or destroyed 24 hospitals in Gaza, including 6 in northern Gaza, 10 in Gaza City, 1 in Dayr al-Balah, and 7 in Khan Yunis. (AJ, AJ, HA 4/18; UNOCHA 4/19; UNOCHA 4/22)
Palestinian health workers find a mass grave with at least 30 bodies outside of al-Shifa Hospital. (AJ 4/18)
Israeli police arrest Palestinian Hebrew University professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian on accusations of incitement. Shalhoub-Kevorkian is released on 4/19. (AJ 4/19; HA 4/20; HA 4/21)
The U.S. vetoes the Palestinian bid for full UN membership. 12 of 15 members of the Security Council vote in favor, including South Korea, Japan, and France, while the UK and Switzerland abstain. The PA, Hamas, Iran, and Russia condemn the U.S. decision. Egypt and Saudi Arabia express “deep regret.” PA president Mahmoud Abbas calls the veto “blatant aggression.” The U.S. explains its veto by effectively saying that Palestinian statehood is for Israel to decide as part of bilateral negotiations. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres tells the council that “a quantum leap in humanitarian aid” is needed to avert famine in Gaza. (AJ, AJ, AX, HA, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/18; AJ, HA, WAFA 4/19; WAFA 4/20)
U.S. and Israeli officials discuss Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah. The White House says in a statement that the “two sides agreed on the shared objective to see Hamas defeated in Rafah.” Media reports suggest that the U.S. has agreed to an Israeli invasion of Rafah in exchange for Israel limiting its planned strike on Iran. The PA calls on U.S. to clarify its position on the potential invasion of Rafah, citing the reporting. (AJ, AX, HA, REU, WAFA 4/18)
CIA director Bill Burns expresses doubt that Israel and Hamas will agree to a ceasefire. (AJ, NYT 4/18)
U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel says Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his delegation are under severe travel restrictions while visiting New York for UN meetings. (AJ 4/18)
New York City police arrest 108 people at a pro-Palestine protest camp at Columbia University. Mayor Eric Adams says the university asked the city to remove the encampment. (HA, NYT, NYT, NYT 4/18; AJ, AJ, HA 4/19; NYT 4/20)
Palestinian photojournalist Mohammed Salem wins the World Press Photo of the Year for his picture “A Palestinian Woman Embraces the Body of Her Niece.” (AJ, REU, WAFA 4/18)
Google fires 28 employees who held a sit-down protest on 4/16 against Google’s contract to provide Israel with cloud computing and artificial intelligences services. (AX, HA, NYT 4/18; AJ 4/19)
Algeria donates $15 million in additional funds to UNRWA. (HA 4/17; HA 4/18)