An explosion shook a military base south of Baghdad in the early hours of this Saturday used by the Popular Mobilization Forces of Iraq (PMF), a group of armed Shiite factions related to Iran that has ended up integrated into Iraqi forces. Some sources speak of an air attack and the Iraqi army has confirmed that a soldier has died. Since the start of the war in Gaza, the PMF had participated in attacks against US soldiers present in Iraq. Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Hosein Amirabdolahian, has minimized the attack suffered by Iran on Friday, which was attributed to Israel as retaliation for the Iranian bombing last Saturday. The minister stated in an interview that they have no evidence that Tel Aviv was behind it and said that they were drones, almost "toy" launched against the city of Isfahan from inside the country, so, for now, a response is discarded. In the West Bank, an Israeli army raid that began on Friday continues this Saturday and has already claimed the lives of 10 Palestinians, according to the Israeli army.
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Andrés MourenzaIstanbul
Erdogan says after meeting with Hamas leader that Israel will “pay the price” for its oppression of Palestinians
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has received in Istanbul the political leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, Ismail Haniya, to discuss assistance to Gaza after more than six months of Israeli offensive, the possibilities of a ceasefire and the release of hostages kidnapped by the armed wing of the Islamist organization, according to the official Turkish news agency Anadolu. According to the Turkish channel NTV, Hamas demands that an eventual ceasefire be permanent and not just temporary, as Israel claims.
Erdogan has expressed confidence that “one day Israel will pay the price” for “the oppression it inflicts on the Palestinians” and explained to Haniya that Turkey is “making every effort to establish an independent State of Palestine” and achieve “ “permanent peace” in the region. He has also asked the Hamas leader for Palestinians to “act in unity” in reference to failed attempts to achieve a joint government with the other political factions in Gaza and the West Bank.
The meeting lasted two and a half hours and was also attended by the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, the head of the secret services, Ibrahim Kalin, the former leader of Hamas Khaled Mashal and other members of the political bureau of the Palestinian organization. Turkey has increased its diplomatic contacts in recent weeks to try to avoid a further escalation of tension in the Middle East, acting as an intermediary between Iran and the United States, and in meetings with neighboring countries and Hamas.
The Turkish president has been highly critical of the killings of Palestinian civilians in the Israeli offensive and has defended Hamas's right to resistance. “I say it loud and clear, Hamas is exactly the same as the Nationalist Forces were during our War of Independence [1919-23]. I know that saying this has a price,” Erdogan said this week, comparing the Palestinian militiamen with the militias that, led by the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, would end up expelling the powers that occupied Anatolia after World War I. World. But this closeness to Hamas on the part of the Turkish Islamist government means that Israel does not trust Turkish attempts at mediation.
ACT.20 APR 2024 - 16:55
The country
The Chinese Foreign Minister advocates giving Palestine entry into the UN to “rectify a historical injustice”
The Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, stated this Saturday that the efforts to admit Palestine as a full member of the UN, such as the Security Council meeting last Thursday, in which the US veto prevented it, , constitute a movement to “rectify a long-standing historical injustice.”
According to the Chinese agency Xinhua, Wang made these comments at a joint press conference with his Papua New Guinea counterpart, during a visit to the country.
On Thursday, the US representative on the United Nations Security Council vetoed Palestine's entry as a full member, which would have constituted a step towards achieving a Palestinian State that can be recognized by other States.
“An early admission of Palestine into the United Nations is a move to rectify a long-standing historical injustice,” Wang said, according to the Chinese agency. (Reuters)
ACT.20 APR 2024 - 14:34
The country
Israel raises death toll to 10 in army raid on Nur Shams refugee camp (West Bank)
The military operation that the Israeli army began on Friday in the Nur Shams refugee camp, in the West Bank, continues this Saturday. To the six deaths recorded on Friday, another four were added this Saturday, according to the figures offered by the Israeli army, which reports on its website and its X profile that it has eliminated 10 "terrorists."
The Israeli army began the operation in Nur Shams, near the West Bank town of Tulkarem, on Friday. At least six Palestinians were killed yesterday in clashes with soldiers, while several more were detained. The group calling itself the Tulkarem Brigades, which includes militiamen from various Palestinian factions, have stated that they are continuing the fighting with the soldiers this Saturday, according to the Reuters agency.
In its X account, the Israeli army states that, after more than 40 hours of raid, "the troops have eliminated ten terrorists in clashes, have detained eight wanted people, have discovered explosives and axes and have searched buildings." They also claim to have located an explosives laboratory and have confiscated “many weapons.” According to his version, nine Israeli soldiers have been wounded.
ACT.20 APR 2024 - 14:13
The country
Turkish and Egyptian foreign ministers discuss increasing humanitarian aid flow to Gaza
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Hakan Fidan, and Egypt, Sameh Shoukry, met this Saturday in Istanbul. At the meeting they addressed the “serious situation” in Gaza due to the Israeli offensive and how to get more humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory. “We have discussed what more we can do to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, and what can be done in the long term to [implement] the two-state solution,” the Turkish minister said.
For his part, Shoukry stated that both countries have called on Israel and Iran to exercise restraint to prevent an even greater escalation of violence in the region. Furthermore, he has reported that a Turkish delegation will soon travel to Egypt to make preparations for an official visit to Turkey by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. (Reuters)
ACT.20 APR 2024 - 12:18
The country
View of the Kalso military base, south of Bagadad (Iraq), after the explosion recorded in the early hours of this Saturday. / Alaa Al-Marjani / REUTERS
What has happened in the last few hours
These are the main news of the day in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza at 12:00 this Saturday, April 20:
- An explosion rocks an Iraqi military base used by a unit pro-Iran
. An explosion rocked a military base south of Baghdad used by the Popular Mobilization Forces of Iraq (PMF), a unit linked to Iran, in the early hours of this Friday, according to security sources. Reuters agency. Hours later, the Iraqi army confirmed that one soldier was killed and eight others were injured in the explosion. In a note, the PMF has stated that it was an “attack”, although there is no information about the authorship.
- The Gaza Ministry of Health raises the death toll from the Israeli offensive to 34,049
. The Gaza Health Ministry, controlled by Hamas, raised this Thursday to 34,049 deaths - most of them children and women - the number of victims in the Strip since the Israeli offensive began on October 7. There are also 76,901 injured.
- The Iranian Foreign Minister minimizes Friday's attack in Ishafan and sees no relationship with Israel
. Iran's Foreign Minister, Hosein Amirabdolahian, has minimized the attack carried out on Friday against the Iranian city of Ishafan, which is attributed to Israel, although neither Tehran has accused Tel Aviv nor the Israeli government has claimed responsibility. According to Amirabdolahian, the authorities are investigating, but in any case he stated, in an interview with the American network NBC News, that they were almost “toy” drones and, for the moment, he rules out retaliation against Israel.
- The White House avoids commenting on the attack against Iran
. The White House has avoided commenting on the attack, attributed to Israel, on Friday in the Iranian city of Ishafan. Hours earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken limited himself to saying that his country “is not involved in offensive operations” against Iran and stated that it is working to contain the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
- Colau asks Sánchez to guarantee the navigation of the flotilla to Gaza and suspend relations with Israel until the “genocide” stops
. The former mayor of Barcelona and current councilor Ada Colau has asked in a letter addressed to the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, to guarantee “the right to free navigation of the Freedom Flotilla”, which intends to leave in the coming days for Gaza loaded with humanitarian aid with the intention of breaking the naval blockade imposed by Israel on the Strip. Furthermore, she demands to suspend “all institutional and economic relations with the State of Israel until there is a permanent ceasefire, the genocide is stopped and full access is given to humanitarian aid and the United Nations.”
ACT.20 APR 2024 - 12:00
The country
The explosion at an Iraqi base has been caused by an attack, according to the pro-Iran unit that uses it
The Popular Mobilization Forces of Iraq (PMF) have issued a note in which they affirm that the explosion that occurred at the Kalso military base, about 50 kilometers south of Baghdad, was a consequence of an attack, although he has not given information about who may be behind it. (Reuters)
ACT.20 APR 2024 - 11:32
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