1) The ITIC reports on the return of flotillas.
“Since the beginning of the Gaza Strip War, initiatives have been undertaken around the globe to organize boats and ships to bring aid to the Gaza Strip, leading to the establishment of the International Campaign to Save Gaza (ICSG), which was announced on November 23, 2023 during a conference held in Istanbul. Recently the organization, behind which is the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), announced it would launch a ship from Libya to El Arish in the near future, and would launch another ship from Lebanon. Meanwhile, Zaher Birawi, the ICSG chairman, announced the launch of a flotilla to “break the blockade of the Gaza Strip,” most likely four ships from European countries. […] In addition to sending humanitarian aid to the Gazans, the flotilla organizers intend to turn them into anti-Israeli media campaigns. In addition to the aid ships there will be ships carrying “political activists,” journalists and public opinion “influencers” from around the world, whose objective will be to “show solidarity” with the Gazans.”
2) At the JCPA, Yoni Ben Menachem explains how ‘Iran and Hamas Are Seeking to Destabilize the Jordanian Government’.
“Jordan has witnessed its largest demonstrations in recent memory, with protesters expressing support for Hamas and opposing the continuation of conflict in the Gaza Strip.
These protests, orchestrated by Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood in coordination with Iran, aim to undermine the rule of King Abdullah and create a new front against Israel along the Jordanian border.”
3) The FDD discusses ‘The Urgent Need for UN Reform’.
“Few moments in its history have so completely exposed the decay of the United Nations into a labyrinth of anti-American bureaucracies as Hamas’s October 7 massacre. In Gaza, we see evidence of the UN Relief and Works Agency and World Health Organization complicit in Hamas war crimes, while others like the World Food Programme parrot Hamas propaganda. In New York and Geneva, from the Security Council and UN Women to the Human Rights Council and the WHO, groups refuse to condemn Hamas and its crimes against humanity — their condemnation is reserved solely for the victims of the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.”
4) At the Jerusalem Post, Shanna Fuld reports on the ‘October orphans: Who cares for Israeli kids whose parents were killed by Hamas?’.
“The Welfare and Social Services Ministry reports that there are 31 young people 25 years old and younger who have lost both of their parents: 18 minors and 13 young adults between the age of 18 and 25. Some 250 minors have lost one parent, while three have lost one, with the other one still being held captive in Gaza.”
5) At the INSS, Remi Daniel analyses the results of the recent municipal elections in Turkey.
“The results of the municipal elections that were held across Turkey on March 31 surprised many Turkish commentators because of the magnitude of the blow that voters delivered to the government. For the first time since it came to power, the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan did not finish in first place. In contrast, the opposition recorded a historic achievement. Not only did the opposition prevent Erdoğan-backed candidates from retaking control of Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir, but it also recorded victories in many other cities, including places that were considered conservative strongholds. Turkish voters sent a clear message to Erdoğan and his party—frustration and anger over the prolonged economic crisis. Some of Erdoğan’s traditional supporters also wanted to punish him for what they see as his hypocrisy over the Palestinian issue.”
6) UKLFI held a webinar with John Spencer to discuss ‘Urban Warfare against Terrorists: Military and Legal Challenges’.
“Last October the Israeli government tasked the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) with destroying Hamas as a military and governing organisation in the Gaza Strip and rescuing over 250 hostages abducted from Israel. Hamas was estimated to have around 40,000 fighters embedded in, around and underneath a population of over 2 million people, mostly in urban centres, in a strip of land 40km long and 10km wide. Hamas controlled a network of more than 600km of tunnels, while flight of civilians out of the territory was barred. This webinar discusses the extraordinary military and legal challenges that have faced the IDF in this theatre and its response to them.”
