Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to ramp up military pressure on Hamas, despite the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warning last week that one child was being killed or injured every 10 minutes in the Gaza Strip.

“With one child killed or injured every 10 minutes (in Gaza), above anything else, we need a ceasefire. It is the only way to stop the killing and maiming of children,” UNICEF Communication Specialist Tess Ingram said during a press briefing in Geneva on April 16.

With no breakthrough yet in truce talks between Israel and Hamas, Netanyahu pledged to intensify the military crackdown in Hamas in a video address. “We will strike it with additional painful blows – and this will happen soon,” he said without elaborating on the time and place.

“In the coming days we will increase the military and political pressure on Hamas because this is the only way to free our hostages and achieve our victory.”

The prime minister’s latest remarks came a day after U.S. lawmakers approved $13 billion in new military aid to Israel, even as global criticism mounts over the dire humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu also condemned an anticipated U.S. sanction against a unit of its army forces. “If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), I will fight it with all my might.”

The Biden administration is slated to announce sanctions against the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion for alleged human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank, which would be the first time the U.S. has ever taken such a step.

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz also urged U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call to reconsider potential sanctions against an Israeli military unit, his office said on Sunday.

Gantz told Blinken that the move would harm Israel’s legitimacy in time of the ongoing Gaza conflict, asserting that “it has no justification because Israel has a strong and independent judicial system.”

Two U.S. officials familiar with the situation said the U.S. announcement could come as soon as Monday, AP reported.

The officials told AP that about five Israeli units were investigated and all but one had been found to have taken action to remedy the violations. The Leahy Law, named for former Senator Patrick Leahy, bars U.S. aid from going to foreign military units that have committed human rights abuses.

The U.S. review was launched before the Israel-Hamas conflict and not connected to recent Israeli actions inside Gaza or the West Bank.

The incidents that were the subject of allegations took place in the West Bank and mostly occurred before the Israel-Hamas conflict, the outlet said.

Before the Gaza conflict, violence had already been on the rise in the West Bank and it has risen since with frequent Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks and settler rampages in Palestinian villages.

Source(s): CGTN

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has suffered a huge defeat in the parliamentary elections. MDP has lost many of the seats it has been defending for years. As such, MDP has lost many constituencies they held as ruling party and as the opposition.

As such, MDP lost the seat held by Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih for 25 years until he became president which was then preceded by the incumbent parliamentarian Jeehan Mahmood. The seat is led by the candidate who contested from the ruling coalition, People’s National Congress (PNC).

The sitting Speaker of Parliament, Mohamed Aslam, was elected to Parliament with the highest number of votes in the history of Parliament and is a very proficient politician. As per the counted voted, Aslam is set to be defeated by PNC’s candidate.

Hithadhoo Central constituency is also a seat that MDP has been defending. However, journalist Ahmed Azaan won the seat, defeating the MDP candidate and the current Deputy Mayor of Addu City.

In addition, the MDP may face losses in seats in famous constituencies. Preliminary results show that the MDP has suffered a huge defeat. However, this result may change.

Source(s): PsmNews

The main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) has secured a supermajority in the Parliament, winning over 60 seats.

Over 200,000 Maldivians voted in the parliamentary elections held on Sunday, in which 326 candidates contested for 93 seats in the next parliamentary assembly, including six news seats.

The ruling party’s candidates ran for 90 seats. The candidates who ran in the elections also includes 89 candidates from Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP); 39 candidates from the Democrats; 10 candidates from Jumhoory Party (JP); four candidates from Maldives Development Alliance (MDA); four from Adhaalath Party (AP); two from Maldives National Party (MNP); and 130 independent candidates.

The preliminary results show PNC won over 60 seats, which is roughly two-thirds of total seats.

This does not include the independent candidates who contested with the party’s backing, as well as candidates from MNP and MDA – two parties allied with the ruling coalition.

In the 2019 elections, the then-ruling MDP won a supermajority, with 64 seats. Meanwhile, the then-opposition PPM-PNC coalition won just eight.

And in the 2014 elections, the then-ruling PPM won the majority.

The only ruling party which failed to get a majority was MDP, which was during the 2009 elections.

Source(s): sun.mv