Al Mayadeen – April 6, 2025
Gaza children slaughtered amid violent strikes; death toll hits 50,695
Amid relentless Israeli bombardment, Gaza’s death toll has surged again—46 lives lost in just hours, including children killed in airstrikes on homes and displacement camps.
26 Palestinians were killed and 113 were injured in 24 hours, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported, as Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave continue unabated.
In a statement released Sunday, the Ministry confirmed that several victims remain trapped under the rubble and in the streets, where emergency and civil defense crews are unable to reach them due to ongoing Israeli assaults.
The health authorities noted that since March 18, 2025, at least 1,335 people have been killed and 3,297 have been injured, highlighting a steep escalation in the humanitarian crisis.
The cumulative toll from the Israeli genocide, which began on October 7, 2023, has now reached 50,695 killed and 115,338 injured, according to the Ministry’s latest figures.
46 killed since morning
46 Palestinians were killed in Gaza in only a couple of hours since the early morning amid continued Israeli bombardment across the Strip. Warplanes persistently hover overhead, targeting civilian gatherings and homes, while invading units open fire in multiple areas, exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe.
In southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, Israeli artillery shelled the Abu Amer area in eastern Aabasan al-Kabira, killing and injuring several people. Ambulance crews faced serious obstacles reaching the wounded due to relentless strikes.
An air raid on a home in the Khan Younis refugee camp claimed the life of a young girl and left others injured. Meanwhile, a father and daughter were killed in an attack on tents sheltering forcibly displaced families in al-Mawasi. Rescue teams also retrieved the body of a child previously buried under rubble in Bani Suheila.
Simultanously, invading Israeli units demolished multiple homes in Qizan Raswan and bulldozed extensive farmland, destroying large swaths of agricultural land in the area.
In Rafah, the Israeli army flattened a residential block near Al-Fadila School and advanced toward a junction, demolishing nearby houses and uprooting agricultural terrain in southern Khan Younis.
Reports indicate that Israeli troops are creating a separation corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis. In its wake, large-scale destruction has forcibly displaced residents and obliterated vital farmland — a deliberate blow to Gaza’s food supply in the south.
Southern Khan Younis neighborhoods — including al-Mawasi, Qizan Raswan, al-Najjar, al-Manara, the European Hospital zone, and al-Fukhari — remain under immediate threat from ongoing air and artillery attacks.
Gaza municipality: Infrastructure in ruins, services on the brink
Meanwhile, municipal spokesperson Husni Muhanna warned of a total collapse in Gaza Cityﾒs basic services, citing extensive damage to infrastructure.
“There is a critical shortage of services due to the destruction of essential facilities,” he told Al Mayadeen. “Our teams can no longer meet even the most basic needs of the population.”
According to Muhanna, more than 75% of municipal buildings and equipment have been destroyed. Residents are returning to burnt or structurally unstable homes as the breakdown of sanitation and water systems worsens public health risks.
“We’re witnessing the return of famine and a deepening water crisis,” he added.
It is worth noting that Israeli occupation forces have destroyed 164 water wells and intentionally targeted pipelines, compounding the suffering of an already besieged population. Waste continues to pile up in the streets, creating a ticking environmental and health time bomb.
Education Ministry: Over 17,000 Children Killed in Gaza Since October
More than 17,000 Palestinian children have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, making them among the most heavily targeted victims of Israeli military aggression, the Palestinian Education Ministry announced on Saturday, according to Anadolu Agency.
In a statement released on Palestinian Childﾒs Day, observed every April 5, the Ministry said, "Education in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, is under direct attack by the Israeli occupation, which continues to destroy schools and prevent children from accessing safe educational environments.”
It emphasized that students across Gaza, occupied al-Quds, and the so-called “Area C” regions of the occupied West Bank endure daily hardship due to the ongoing war.
“More than 17,000 children have been martyred in Gaza,” the statement said, adding that this devastating toll “reflects the depth of the tragedy children are enduring, with each number representing a life, memories, and experiences lost.”
Iran warns neighbors against US use of their airspace for attacks
The possibility of escalation has raised concerns among Gulf nations, which are heavily reliant on stable oil transit through the region.
Iran is resisting US President Donald Trump’s demands for direct talks over its nuclear program, instead proposing continued indirect negotiations via Oman, a long-established intermediary, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.
“Indirect talks offer a chance to evaluate Washington's seriousness about a political solution with Iran,” the official said, noting such dialogue could begin soon if US signals were favorable. However, they acknowledged that the process may be “rocky".
Iran has simultaneously issued warnings to regional countries, including Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, and Bahrain, warning them that allowing US forces to use their territory or airspace in an attack on Iran would be viewed as a hostile act.
“Such an act will have severe consequences for them,” the official warned, adding that Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei has placed the armed forces on high alert.
These warnings follow heightened regional tensions amid ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza and Lebanon, US aggression on Yemen, regime changes in Syria, and threats between Iran and "Israel". The possibility of escalation has raised concerns among Gulf nations, which are heavily reliant on stable oil transit through the region.
Iran warns of consequences for regional allies amid tensions with US
Iran’s state media reported that Kuwait has reassured Tehran it would not permit its soil to be used for aggression against other nations. Meanwhile, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said the country had not received a warning, asserting, however, that such messages could be transmitted by alternative channels.
The Iranian official suggested there may be a two-month window for negotiations before the risk of unilateral Israeli military action increases or the “snap back” of UN sanctions aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Although Iran maintains it does not seek nuclear weapons and insists on the peacefulness of its project, the UN nuclear watchdog has claimed Iran is “dramatically” increasing uranium enrichment to 60%—close to weapons-grade.
While open to addressing concerns over its nuclear program through indirect talks, Tehran continues to reject direct negotiations “under threat” and insists its missile capabilities are not up for discussion.
Earlier in the week, IRGC commander Amirali Hajizadeh hinted that US bases and troops across the region could be targets in the event of a full-blown war.
Yemeni forces conducts fresh retaliatory operation against US warships in Red Sea
The Yemeni Armed Forces have launched an attack on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and its escorts in the northern Red Sea in retaliation for the continued US aggression against the Arab country and the destruction of its vital infrastructure.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesperson for Yemen’s military, stated on Sunday morning that the hours-long operation involved coordinated strikes by naval, drone, and missile units.
He added that the attack was in response to “the US aggression” on Yemen, noting it was the last of its kind for the fourth consecutive week, using cruise missiles and combat drones.
Saree emphasized that Yemeni naval forces targeted a US Navy supply ship and the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier with a homegrown anti-ship missile.
He stated that Yemen’s leadership, people, and armed forces are committed to defending the Palestinian nation as a religious, moral, and humanitarian duty.
Saree said the Yemeni Armed Forces’ operations against the Israeli enemy, by preventing its navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas and targeting its military and vital facilities, will not stop until the aggression against Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted completely.
The new operation came after Yemeni forces targeted an Israeli military site in Tel Aviv using a Yafa-type drone.
In a statement, the operation was described as a victory for the oppressed Palestinian people and a response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Additionally, Yemeni air defenses successfully shot down a Giant Shark F360 reconnaissance drone that was conducting hostile missions over the northwestern Sa’ada province.
The US drone was downed using a domestically-made surface-to-air missile.
US conducts new airstrikes across Yemen
Meanwhile, the United States has pressed ahead with its aggression against Yemen, launching new airstrikes on various areas across the Arab country.
At least two people were killed and four others wounded when airstrikes by American warplanes hit a solar energy store and a house in the Hafsin area of Yemen’s northern city of Sa’ada late on Saturday.
Footage of the incident shows civil defense teams carrying out rescue operations and working to extinguish fires caused by the bombings.
US military aircraft also carried out at least five strikes east of the city of Sa’ada.
Kamaran Island, strategically located at the southern end of the Red Sea, was bombed five times as well.
Yemenis have been hitting Israeli and American targets in support of Palestinians in Gaza since the regime launched its devastating war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, and in response to the American-British aggression on their homeland.
The operations have effectively shut down the Eilat port south of the occupied territories, causing significant economic setbacks for the Israelis.
The Yemeni Armed Forces have said they will not stop their attacks until Israel’s ground and aerial offensives in Gaza end.
US spent $1 billion on Yemen offensive with limited results: Report
A recent report has revealed that the US military’s nearly $1 billion offensive against the Yemeni armed forces has had limited success in impacting its capabilities.
The US broadcaster, CNN, cited three unnamed sources as saying that the onslaught, which was launched on March 15, has already used hundreds of millions of dollars worth of munitions for strikes against Yemen’s armed forces, including JASSM long-range cruise missiles, JSOWs, which are GPS-guided glide bombs, and Tomahawk missiles.
US defense officials announced earlier this week that B-2 bombers out of Diego Garcia — a British-administered atoll — are also being used against the Yemeni military, and an additional aircraft carrier as well as several fighter squadrons and air defense systems will soon be moved into the Central Command region.
“They’ve taken out some sites, but that hasn’t affected the Houthis’ ability to continue shooting at ships in the Red Sea or shooting down US drones,” said one of the sources, referring to Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement.
“Meanwhile, we are burning through readiness—munitions, fuel, deployment time.”
Another source underlined that the Pentagon will likely need to request supplemental funding from Congress to continue its aggression, but may not receive it as the offensive has already been criticized on both sides of the aisle.
Even Vice President JD Vance said he thought the aggression was “a mistake” in a Signal chat published by The Atlantic last week.
Although Pentagon has not publicly disclosed what impact the daily US military strikes have actually had on the Yemeni resistance movement, they acknowledged that the group has still been able to fortify their bunkers and maintain weapons stockpiles underground, much as they did during the strikes that the Joe Biden administration carried out for over a year, the sources said.
And it has been difficult to determine precisely how much the Yemenis still have stockpiled, a defense official said.
In a speech on Friday, Ansarullah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said the intensified US acts of aggression against Yemen had failed to stop Yemeni resistance operations in support of Palestinians plagued by Israel’s months-long genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Houthi stressed that the US aggression on Yemen, which exceeded 90 attacks on some days, “has failed to stop the military operations supporting the Palestinian people, nor has it been able to protect Israeli navigation in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea.”
A few weeks after the onset of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, Yemeni forces began carrying out solidarity operations with the war-hit Gazans, striking targets throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, in addition to targeting Israeli ships or vessels heading toward ports in the occupied territories.
In support of Israel, the US announced the formation of a maritime task force in the Red Sea in December 2023 to protect the passage of vessels bound for the Israeli-occupied territories.
The Yemeni forces responded by ramping up their strikes against strategic and sensitive Israeli and American targets, including the US warships and aircraft carriers that are deployed off Yemen’s coastline.
The Yemeni forces paused their retaliatory strikes in support of the ceasefire that took effect in Gaza on January 19 before Israel broke it last month.
Fractured Ummah: How leadership crisis, disunity undermined the Palestinian cause
By Zainab Zakariyah
The Islamic world, once a beacon of unity and resistance against colonialism, now stands fractured and weakened. This fragmentation is the result of decades of internal failures and cunning ploys by external powers to create fissures in the fabric of the Ummah.
Propaganda, sectarianism, and the prioritization of narrow national interests have eroded the collective strength of the Arab and Muslim world. At the heart of this disunity lies the failure to rally around the Palestinian cause, a seventy-year-old struggle that remains a litmus test for Arab and Muslim solidarity.
This failure has not only emboldened Israel’s settler-colonial expansionist ambitions but also exposed the vulnerabilities of the Arab world to external manipulation and internal division.
To better understand the current state of the Arab world, we must revisit the early 20th century, a time when Arab nations fought valiantly against colonial powers.
From the Arab Revolt of 1916 against the Ottoman Empire to the resistance against French and British mandates in Syria, Iraq, and Palestine, the Arab world was united in its quest for independence and self-determination. The shared identity of Muslims, Christians, and Jews as "People of the Book" fostered a sense of brotherhood that transcended religious or ethnic differences.
However, the late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a shift. The oppressive policies of the Ottoman Empire, coupled with British meddling and the aftermath of World War I, led Arab intellectuals to embrace European-inspired nationalism.
Leaders like Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia emerged as champions of Pan-Arabism. Yet, over time, Arab nationalism, instead of fostering solidarity, has deepened divisions and given rise to ethnocentric and individualist approaches.
Leaving the region to become a patchwork of competing nation-states, each prioritizing its own interests over the collective good. This fragmentation was exploited by colonial powers, which saw an opportunity to feed on the carcass of a broken Ummah, redrew maps and sowed discord to maintain control over the resource-rich West Asia.
One could argue that perhaps the Arab nationalistic shift could have lasted the test of time, but the creation of the illegitimate Israeli regime in 1948 marked a definitive turning point.
The Nakba, which marked the expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians from their homes and the subsequent occupation of Palestinian lands, exposed the limitations of Arab nationalism. Despite initial solidarity, Arab nations failed to translate their rhetoric into effective action.
The 1967 Six-Day War with Israel dealt a devastating blow to the Arab nationalistic aspirations, with the regime occupying the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula. The US-led Camp David Accords of 1978, which saw Egypt sign a deal with the occupying regime,e dealt the final blow, further shattering the illusion of Arab unity.
These developments revealed the inability of Arab leaders to prioritize collective action over individual interests. The wave of normalization agreements in recent years between some Arab states and the Israeli regime, a blatant betrayal of the Palestinian cause, further emboldened Israel’s expansionist ideas and threatened the future of many Arab countries.
Nationalism, once a rallying cry for liberation, has proven inadequate in addressing the challenges facing the Arab world. While it is clear that the Arab nationalistic ideals have failed, the question remains: What other solution is there?
It’s time Arabs and Muslims, in general, return to their source of power and embrace their Islamic identity. According to recent data, there are at least 2 billion Muslims in the world, with that number steadily increasing.
This means a united Ummah could wield unparalleled geopolitical, economic, and moral influence.
The collective strength of 2 billion Muslims, spanning diverse nations and cultures, is a force that no single power or alliance could easily ignore. From military power to economic leverage, to providing a more humane, justice-oriented way of life, a stark contrast to the materialistic, profit-oriented Western doctrine that has dragged the entire world to a near catastrophic environmental disaster.
The opportunity and potential are too enormous to list.
The question then is, what are the challenges preventing this unity from materializing? We cannot find answers without examining the role of propaganda and sectarianism. Western powers and their allies have skillfully exploited sectarian divides to keep the Arab world fragmented.
By framing regional conflicts as ancient religious feuds, they have diverted attention from their own geopolitical ambitions. For example, the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 exacerbated sectarian tensions, leading to the rise of the Daesh terrorist group.
Instead of addressing the root causes of extremism, Western governments used Al Qaeda and Daesh as a pretext to target Shia groups and governments in the region while using propaganda to convince many Sunni Arabs to view Iran and Hezbollah as enemies rather than allies.
The brutality of terrorist outfits such as Daesh did not discriminate when it came to killing Shias, Sunnis, Christians and other minority groups. And it was Shia-led groups that stood, fought, protected and liberated lands otherwise occupied by these extremist groups. The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, while mainly Shias, played a crucial role in liberating cities like Mosul and Tikrit. In Syria, Hezbollah, Iranian and Syrian resistance forces were instrumental in breaking the siege of Aleppo.
And yet, today, many Arabs and Sunni Muslims view Iran and other Shia resistance groups in the same lens as Israel, with many believing that Shias are worse than the Israeli occupation. Even though since the Al Aqsa storm operation, while many Arab countries have been paralyzed, it was Hezbollah, Yemen, Iraqi resistance forces, and Iran that have given everything, including their blood, to support Palestinians.
What then is the way forward? The Ummah will remain in a perpetual state of war and endless conflict if it fails to discard these sectarian narratives and mindsets. It must hold to account those who fund and propagate extremism and acknowledge the contributions of all groups in the fight against terrorism.
It must also renew its commitment to the Palestinian cause, not as a symbolic issue but as a central pillar of Arab, Islamic identity and solidarity. This also includes holding Israel accountable for its actions.
Arab leaders must recognize that Israel’s expansionist policies pose a direct threat to their own security, and normalization agreements, far from bringing peace, will only further render their countries weakened and another easy pick for Israel’s expansionist ambitions, just as we are witnessing in Syria.
The European Union shows that unity is possible, even among nations with a history of conflict. If the Islamic Ummah can overcome its divisions and unite, it will not only secure the liberation of Palestine but also restore its dignity and reclaim its place as a global leader in justice and human rights.
The time has come for Muslims to rise above their differences and harness the immense power of a united Ummah. Palestine and, indeed, the entire world cannot wait any longer.
Zainab Zakariyah is a Tehran-based writer and journalist, originally from Nigeria.
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/04/06/745662/fractured-ummah-how-failed-muslim-leadership-undermined-palestinian-cause
The Middle East Eye – April 4, 2025
Muslim scholars issue fatwa calling for jihad against Israel as strikes pummel Gaza
Ruling is backed by more than a dozen prominent Muslim scholars and calls on all Muslim countries to 'review their peace treaties' with Israel
By MEE Staff
Several prominent Muslim scholars have issued a rare religious decree or "fatwa", calling on all Muslims and Muslim-majority countries to wage "jihad" against Israel after 17 months of devastating war against Palestinians residing in the besieged enclave.
Ali al-Qaradaghi, the secretary general of the International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), an organisation previously led by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, called on all Muslim countries on Friday “to intervene immediately militarily, economically and politically to stop this genocide and comprehensive destruction, in accordance with their mandate”.
“The failure of the Arab and Islamic governments to support Gaza while it is being destroyed is considered by Islamic law to be a major crime against our oppressed brothers in Gaza,” he said in the decree comprising some 15 points.
Qaradaghi is one of the region’s most respected religious authorities and his decrees carry significant weight among the world’s 1.7bn Sunni Muslims.
A "fatwa" is a non-binding Islamic legal ruling from a respected religious scholar, usually based on the Quran or the Sunnah - the sayings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad.
“It is forbidden to support the infidel enemy [Israel] in its extermination of the Muslims in Gaza, regardless of the type of support,” Qaradaghi said.
“It is forbidden to sell weapons to it, or to facilitate its transport through ports or international waterways such as the Suez Canal, Bab al-Mandab, the Strait of Hormuz, or any other land, sea, or air means.
“The Committee [IUMS] issues a fatwa requiring an air, land, and sea blockade of the occupying enemy in support of our brothers in Gaza,” he added.
His statement, which was also backed by 14 other prominent Muslim scholars, called on all Muslim countries to “review their peace treaties” with Israel and for Muslims in the United States to pressure President Donald Trump to “fulfill his election promises to stop the aggression and establish peace”.
'We are being annihilated'
Despite repeatedly pledging to halt the war on the campaign trail and precipitating a temporary ceasefire shortly before he entered office in January, Trump reportedly “green-lit” Israel’s resumption of fighting last month.
Since reneging on the ceasefire deal, Israel has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians, including hundreds of children. More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war on Gaza began in October 2023.
On Friday, Israeli forces continued to pound the enclave, killing at least 30 people since dawn, according to local medical sources and Gaza’s civil defence agency.
The latest wave of bombings has targeted schools, shelters, hospitals, food centres, Israeli-designated safe zones and a water desalination plant.
Images and videos of intense strikes across Gaza showed widespread destruction in densely populated neighbourhoods, as many Palestinians shared what they described as their final messages to the world.
Journalist Mohammed Abu Mostafa expressed his frustration with the international community in several posts, writing: “Goodbye to the most treacherous community in history. In a few hours, Gaza will be erased. You will only find us in heaven.”
Meanwhile, Palestinian activist and journalist Aboud Battah urged people to speak up about Gaza, writing: “Talk about us. By God, we are being annihilated in silence.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to intensify the offensive to pressure Hamas into further concessions.
“We are now dividing the Strip and we are increasing pressure step by step so they will give us our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a video message on Wednesday.
Netanyahu wants Hamas to release the 59 remaining Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and aid, but without Israel committing to end the war or pull out troops.
For a final ceasefire deal, Netanyahu insists Hamas must disarm - a demand the group calls a “red line” - and has openly backed plans for Israel to seize security control of Gaza and push Palestinians out.
Hamas calls for a return to the previously agreed three-stage ceasefire framework and has offered to free all the captives at once in return for a permanent ceasefire.
