Israel Kills at Least 13 in Gaza, Clears Last Hurdle for Settlement Project to Split West Bank Into Two
Jerusalem: Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 13 people, according to health officials, as US President Donald Trump was expected to announce his Board of Peace to oversee the announced ceasefire.
The Associated Press reported that health officials and family members said at least one child was among the dead in northern Gaza following several strikes there as well as east of Gaza City. All 13 people were killed on January 8.
Al Jazeera reports that the number of dead is, in fact, 14, and identifies the child as a 11-year-old Palestinian girl who lived in the Jabalia area.
Officials say that Trump is expected to announce next week his appointments to his Board of Peace, which he has said he will head. The process has moved slowly since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was announced nearly three months ago.
The AP has also reported that Israel has cleared the final hurdle before starting construction on a contentious settlement project near Jerusalem that would effectively cut the West Bank in two, according to a government tender.
The tender, which seeks bids from developers, would clear the way to begin construction of the E1 project.
Yoni Mizrahi, who runs the settlement watch division of the anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now has said initial work could begin within the month.
Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to US pressure during previous administrations.
Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank is overwhelmingly considered to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.
Critics say the new settlement would prevent the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state in the territory.
Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician who oversees settlement policy, has long pushed for the plan to become a reality.
“The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions,” he said in August, when Israel gave final approval to the plan. “Every settlement, every neighbourhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.”
The tender, publicly accessible on the website for Israel’s Land Authority, calls for proposals to develop 3,401 housing units. Peace Now says the publication of the tender “reflects an accelerated effort to advance construction in E1.
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