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Lawyers sue German government to stop arms exports to Israel amid Gaza war

By
IFP Media Wire
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Olaf Scholz

Ahmed Abed, a lawyer representing Palestinian families, said they have filed an “urgent application” to the court amid ongoing Israeli war crimes and worrying signs of genocide in Gaza.

“Germany has a constitutional responsibility to protect human life. The German government must stop its arms exports to Israel, as they are in violation of international law. The government cannot claim that it is not aware of this,” he told a news conference in Berlin.

Despite growing public pressure, Berlin remains supportive of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, arguing that the country bears special responsibility for Israel because of its Nazi history.

The German government approved €326.5 million ($354 million) worth of weapons exports to Israel in 2023, the majority of which were approved after Oct. 7, 2023, a tenfold increase compared to 2022.

The Lawyers’ Collective said Germany’s arms exports constitute a violation under international law, and are in breach of domestic law, particularly the War Weapons Control Act.

“The criteria for the approval of arms exports include, among other things, that the weapons are not used against Germany’s obligations of the international law, in this case that Israel does not violate human rights and international humanitarian law,” the lawyers announced in a statement.

“Since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its decision of January 26, 2024 already sees evidence of genocide in Gaza, the Lawyers’ Collective believes that the delivery of weapons is contrary to these obligations. The aim of the urgent motion is therefore to immediately stop future approvals of weapons deliveries to Israel, and to revoke approvals that have already been granted,” they added.

The legal initiative of Gazan families and German lawyers was supported by civil society organizations European Legal Support Center (ELSC), the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD) and Law for Palestine under the Justice and Accountability for Palestine Initiative.

Iranian actor Davoudnejad laid to rest

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iranian actor Reza Davoudnejad laid to rest

Filmmakers and actors participated in his burial ceremony in Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.

The head of the Iranian Actors’ Association Pejman Bazeghi addressed the event, and expressed sorrow for the early demise of Davoudnejad, who succumbed to his illness at the age of 44.

Unsuccessful gastric bypass surgery was blamed for Davoudnejad’s years-long disease and consequential death.

He acted in many famous Iranian movies and series since his childhood, including “Without a Sanctuary”, “Sweet Agony” and Peaceful Streets”.

He was a son of Alireza Davoudnejad, also a renowned actor and film director.

Iran’s IRGC vows will hand Israel ‘regretful punishment’

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)

The statement came in reaction to the Israeli regime’s missile strikes on Iran’s consular building in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday which killed seven Iranian military advisors affiliated with the IRGC’s Quds Force.

The IRGC assured the Iranians it will surely punish the Israeli regime for the attack.

The statement read, “The national demand for the remorseful punishment of the criminal Zionist enemy will be realized by God’s grace.”

The IRGC also hailed millions of Iranians who took part in the Quds Day rallies in support of Palestine across the country on Friday, when the seven assassinated military advisors were also commemorated.

Iran Leader pardons, commutes sentences of over 2,000 inmates

By
IFP Media Wire
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Ayatollah Khamenei

Ayatollah Khamenei pardoned or commuted the sentences of 2,127 prisoners to mark next week’s Eid al-Fitr celebrations as well as the traditional Iranian Nowruz, the Iranian New Year celebrating the advent of the Spring.

The decision came as the Leader agreed to a request by Iran’s Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei to suspend or mitigate the sentences of the inmates deemed eligible for parole or reduction of prison sentence.

The prisoners who were granted clemency included inmates convicted by the country’s public and Islamic Revolution courts, the Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces, and the State Discretionary Punishment Organization.

Ayatollah Khamenei regularly issues such decrees on special occasions.

Article 110 of the Constitution Law gives the Supreme Leader the right to pardon or reduce the sentences of prisoners upon the request of the Chief of the Judiciary.

The clemency, however, does not apply to all types of prisoners, including those who have been sentenced for their role in armed struggle against the country, armed or organized drug trafficking, rape, armed robbery, arms smuggling, abduction, bribery, and embezzlement.

US lawmakers urge Biden to reconsider Israel arms transfer

By
IFP Media Wire
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Joe Biden

In a letter released on Friday, 40 lawmakers said the administration should “withhold this and any future offensive arms transfers” until there is a full US investigation into an Israeli air strike on Monday that killed seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen (WCK), one of whom was a dual US-Canadian citizen.

“If this strike is found to have violated US or international law, we urge you to continue withholding these transfers until those responsible are held accountable,” said the letter, which was signed by progressive Democrats as well as former House speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“We also urge you to withhold these transfers if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza, including aid workers, and if it fails to facilitate – or arbitrarily denies or restricts – the transport and delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

Biden has been facing growing challenges from within his own Democratic Party over his failure to call for an immediate ceasefire and the continuing flow of military aid to Israel.

Biden signalled to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a tense call on Thursday that US policy could change if Israel did not take steps to limit civilian casualties in Gaza and address the spiralling humanitarian crisis there.

After the phone conversation, Israel announced steps it was taking to increase entry points for humanitarian aid deliveries to get into the Palestinian enclave, as well as acceptance for more aid transiting from Jordan.

Regarding the WCK aid convoy deaths, Israeli government said it would conduct its own investigation.

The White House will not conduct an independent or separate investigation, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said this week, even after the WCK organisation urged that there be third-party investigations.

The lawmakers called on the Biden administration to do its own probe into the deadly incident.

“We strongly urge your administration to conduct a thorough investigation into this air strike to determine how the aid convoy could have been mistakenly targeted despite coordinating their movements with the Israeli military and travelling in clearly marked vehicles,” the letter said, adding that US efforts to bring more aid into the enclave are insufficient to meet the “extraordinary need on the ground”.

The letter also urged the administration to place conditions on any future military aid to Israel to ensure it is used in accordance with US law.

Source: Death toll in terrorist attacks in Iran’s southeast rises to 15

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran Police

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Fars News Agency on Saturday that the 11 of the victims of the armed raids were with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and four of them were Law Enforcement forces.

Terrorists affiliated with separatist Jaish al-Adl group staged a multi-prong attack in the cities of Rask and Chabahar.

After an hours-long conflict, the armed militants failed in their attempt to seize the strategic locations in the cities and had to flee. The Iranian security forces killed dozens of the armed thugs.

The Pakistan-based group, which wants to cede Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan Province, is responsible for several terrorist attacks in the border region.

Iran has called on Pakistan on several occasions to pin down the terrorist group.

Iran asks UN Security Council to condemn recent terrorist attacks in Sistan and Baluchestan Province

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Amir Saeed Iravani

In a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the rotating president of the Security Council Vanessa Frazier on Friday, Iravani wrote that the recent “reprehensible and cowardly” terrorist attacks came only two days after an Israeli airstrike against the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in Syria.

“The [so-called] Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group, which is sponsored by outsiders, carried out a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in the last hours of Wednesday, April 3, 2024, in Chabahar and Rask Counties of Sistan and Baluchestan Province with intent to undermine peace and stability. The assailants targeted five important public facilities, military bases and security control centers, and took a large number of civilians hostage.”

“But despite their sinister motive, the quick and courageous reaction of Iran’s security and law enforcement forces thwarted their attempt to overtake military and security centers in Chabahar and Rask. During the anti-terrorist operation of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s security forces, all the hostages were successfully rescued,” Iravani emphasized.

The top Iranian diplomat went on to say that the terrorist attacks claimed the lives of 10 police officers, and left several others injured. Another 44 civilians also sustained injuries in the process, of whom 29 have been treated and discharged while the rest are receiving treatment at Chabahar Hospital.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns such abhorrent and brutal acts of terrorism, and emphasizes its unwavering commitment to bringing the perpetrators to justice.”

“Given the repeated violent and terrorist acts of the Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group, which is sponsored by certain foreign countries, against innocent Iranian civilians and officials, the Islamic Republic of Iran asks the Security Council to strongly condemn these heinous terrorist acts and take appropriate measures in line with its commitments concerning fight against all forms and manifestations of terror, as shown by the Security Council in the press release dated December 16, 2023 (SC/15534),” Iravani added.

He noted that Iran, which has greatly suffered from the disastrous consequences of terrorism, is steadfast in its unwavering commitment to lead the fight against this scourge.

“We are determined to protect the proud and noble people of Iran, and safeguard the security of neighboring countries against the dangers of these terrorist groups,” Iran’s UN envoy pointed out.

Iravani finally urged the rotating president of the UN Security Council to circulate the correspondence among member states under Agenda item 109: “Measures to eliminate international terrorism.”

Large crowd in Isfahan pay homage to top Iranian commander killed in Syria

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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General Mohammad Reza Zahedi

The massive crowd showed up in the hometown of General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Quds Force, who was assassinated on Monday along with six of his comrades in Israeli strikes on Iran’s consular building.

During the ceremony, Chief of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said the responsibility for the recent Israeli attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus and other crimes being perpetrated by the Israeli regime, mainly rests with the US.

General Baqeri reiterated the US should be held accountable for the Israeli regime’s carnage in Gaza and other crimes the regime is committing in the region out of desperation.

Also referring to the operation Al-Aqsa Storm carried out by Palestinian resistance groups inside Israel in last October, the top Iranian commander said the Israeli regime that sought to rule from the Nile to the Euphrates, has been bogged down in the tiny Gaza Strip quagmire over the past six months.

The deadly attack on Iran’s mission in Damascus drew global condemnations, with many warning that the attack could spread the scope of the conflict in the region, amid the months-long Israeli genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Iranian officials, including the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has warned that Israel will receive a ‘tough response’ in retaliation for the crime.

US bracing for “inevitable” Iran’s attack

By
IFP Media Wire
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Israeli strike on Iranian consulate in Syria

A senior official told CNN that the US government believes retaliation by Iran is “inevitable”, and added that the Israelis share this assessment. Officials warned that an attack could come as soon as next week.

According to officials who spoke to NBC News and CBS News, American intelligence suggests that Iran could use “a swarm” of Shahed kamikaze drones and cruise missiles, and that Tehran could target an Israeli diplomatic or consular facility.

The potential attack was discussed during a phone call between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, CNN reported.

There were no major attacks on US personnel in the region since late January when a kamikaze drone killed three soldiers stationed at a remote outpost near the Jordanian-Syrian border.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei promised that Israel will “receive a slap in the face”. Officials in Tehran also made threats against the US, although Washington claimed that it was unaware that the strike on Iran’s mission in Damascus would happen.

UN chief warns Israel has brought ‘relentless death and destruction’ to Gaza Strip

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

In a speech marking six months since Israel’s war on Gaza began, the UN chief said that “nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people”.

“Lives are shattered. Respect for international humanitarian law is in tatters,” he added.

“During my visit to the Rafah crossing 10 days ago, I met veteran humanitarians who told me categorically that the crisis and suffering in Gaza is unlike any they have ever seen,” Guterres said, adding that long lines of trucks with aid continued to face “obstacle after obstacle”.

“When the gates to aid are closed, the doors to starvation are opened.”

“More than half the population – over a million people – are facing catastrophic hunger. Children in Gaza today are dying for lack of food and water,” he continued, adding, “This is incomprehensible, and entirely avoidable.”

Since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7, more than 33,000 people have been killed, according to health authorities. Hundreds of thousands have also been displaced and aid organisations warn that the strip is on the brink of famine.

The UN secretary-general said he sincerely hoped Israel will quickly and effectively boost aid access to the Gaza Strip.

Israel has approved the reopening of the Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing into northern Gaza and temporary use of Ashdod port in southern Israel after US President Joe Biden demanded steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying conditions could be placed on US support for Israel if it did not act.

Global outrage at the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave of 2.3 million people escalated after an Israeli air attack on Monday killed seven people working for US-based food charity World Central Kitchen.

The UN says nearly 200 humanitarian workers have now been killed in the war.

Guterres also said he was “deeply troubled” by reports that the Israeli military has been using artificial intelligence to help identify bombing targets in Gaza. The Israeli military has denied AI was used to identify suspected fighters and targets.

“No part of life and death decisions which impact entire families should be delegated to the cold calculation of algorithms,” the UN chief added.

Guterres also called Hamas’s October 7 attack “a day of pain for Israel and the world”, said he mourned for those killed “in cold blood”, and called for the unconditional release of all the captives still held in Gaza.

Israel has announced some 1,200 people were killed during the October 7 attack and more than 200 taken captive – dozens of whom have since been released.

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