Live Updates: US Senate overwhelmingly passes $26.6B military aid for Israel

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

05:20 GMT - US Senate overwhelmingly passes $26.6B military aid for Israel

US Senate has passes $26.6 billion military package for Israel, the American ally accused of carrying out genocide of besieged Palestinians in Gaza using US weapons.

US President Joe Biden pledged to quickly sign the $61 billion bill — also including aid packages for Ukraine and Taiwan — after Congress gave its final approval, saying delivery of the much-needed aid would begin this week.

The US declared its support for Israel since the beginning of the war In October last year. US never holds back in arming Israel, regardless of alarming Gaza civilian casualties.

04:45 GMT — Israel prepares to invade Rafah 'very soon' — report

Ignoring global pleas and genocide allegations, Israeli military is preparing to invade the city of Rafah in southern Gaza "very soon," Israeli media have reported.

According to the public broadcaster KAN, which cited unnamed Israeli military sources, the military is preparing for a ground invasion in Rafah that would include "evacuating a significant number of residents."

"According to the army's plan, more than one million Palestinians in Rafah will be asked to evacuate the area to shelters recently established in the southern and central parts of the Gaza Strip," said the broadcaster.

03:50 GMT — US has concerns about potential Rafah invasion: Pentagon

The US military still has concerns about a potential Israeli ground invasion in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the Pentagon has said.

Speaking at a press briefing, spokesperson Pat Ryder recalled a meeting between US and Israeli officials in which he said the two countries agreed on a "shared objective" to defeat resistance group Hamas and shared their thinking on Rafah.

"We've shared ours, but in terms of what their plan looks like. We still have some concerns in terms of the various courses of actions. And so, we'll continue to discuss those concerns related to how they're going to take into account civilian safety and humanitarian assistance," said Ryder.

03:20 GMT — Gaza demonstrators in NY university threatened with suspension

Students taking part in a sit-in protest at a school in the US against "the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza" have been threatened with suspension, activists and the school's student-run newspaper said.

Demonstrators set up what they are calling the Gaza Solidarity Encampment in the University Center lobby at the New School, a private university in New York City, on Sunday.

They have remained there since.

New School administrators ended negotiations with demonstrators without a resolution, the school's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine said on social media Monday.

02:30 GMT — UNRWA experienced 'nothing comparable' to current Israeli attack on it

The head of the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees says it has never been under as sustained an attack as it is now in an Israeli campaign to dismantle its activities in besieged Gaza and possibly elsewhere in the Middle East.

In UNRWA's 75-year history, it has experienced "absolutely nothing comparable" to the "ferocity" and scope of the current campaign against its Gaza operations, Philippe Lazzarini told reporters.

It is happening even as many donors have suspended contributions to UNRWA after Israel alleged that 12 employees of the agency participated in the October 7 Hamas surprise blitz in southern Israel, he said.

02:12 GMT — Pro-Palestine protesters disrupt conference in Italy

Students protesting Israel's carnage in besieged Gaza have disrupted a conference in Italy focused on its cooperation with other countries in scientific fields and space that ministers from the ruling coalition government attended.

They carried Palestinian flags and attempted to march to the conference venue at Valentino Castle in the city of Turin but were prevented by security forces.

One of the protesters managed to enter the venue, however, carrying a Palestinian flag.

For our live updates from Tuesday, April 23, click here.