🇹🇷 BREAKING — Turkey completely halts trade with Israel as of Thursday.

📑 The Israeli military announces a series of senior appointments, including the next head of the Military Intelligence Directorate

Brig. Gen. Shlomi Binder, who currently serves as head of the Operations Division, will be appointed as the next chief of the Military Intelligence Directorate. Binder previously commanded the 91st "Galilee" Regional Division.

The current top intel chief, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, announced his resignation last month.

Brig. Gen. Avi Blot, who currently serves as the head of the Command and Staff College, will be appointed as the next chief of the Central Command, replacing Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox, who recently decided to end his 36-year-long military career.

Brig. Gen. Dan Golfus, who currently commands the 98th Division, will be appointed as the next head of the Northern Corps and Maneuver Array. Goldfus led his division during four months of fighting in southern Gaza's Khan Younis.

Brig. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, the commander of the 36th Division, will be appointed as head of the Personnel Directorate. Bar Kalifa led his division during months of fighting in northern Gaza.

Brig. Gen. Aviad Dagan, a senior Israeli Air Force officer, will be appointed as the next head of the Computer Service Directorate.

The nominated officers will all be promoted to the rank of major general in the coming months before they enter their roles.

The IDF says the appointments were made by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, following a "lengthy process."

The officers chosen for the top roles are "commanders who stood out in combat in the field and at headquarters," the military says.

The appointments are made by Gallant and Halevi despite opposition by some lawmakers, who have said that the military should not make such changes amid the war.

📝 Quoting Israeli journalist Mannie Fabian as is.

📑 As expected, the assignment of the new Israeli army commanders were not welcomed by the duo Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, who opposed this and openly called for the resignation of the current Israeli army chief of staff.

Ben-Gvir and his party have openly attacked the army commanders for not doing enough to destroy Gaza, and kill enough Palestinians.

📑 Ben-Gvir feels he is the master or Netanyahu

Ma'ariv newspaper describes the situation as: There is a new prime minister in “Israel”.

They add that in practice, Benjamin Netanyahu has become the servant of his master, Itamar Ben Gvir, and this raises the obvious question: To what extent has Netanyahu deteriorated?

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir appeared in front of the cameras a few days ago while leaving the Prime Minister’s Office, acting Prime Minister, and announced in an unambiguous tone: “I warned the Prime Minister that we will not enter Rafah, nor will there is an illegal deal.

The Prime Minister heard the words, and promised that "Israel" would enter Rafah, and promised that the war would continue, and promised that there would be no illegal deal.

These words and tone of voice leave no room for doubt in the heart of every listener. There is a new prime minister in the State of Israel.

This raises the obvious question: To what extent has Netanyahu deteriorated? It has reached the point where even a response from a prime minister, in order to preserve his dignity, is not uttered.

Netanyahu, despite thousands of disagreements, knows what the majority of the people want: the release of detainees, and he also knows what is important and useful to the people.

But he follows Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, because that is what is good politically for Netanyahu for obvious reasons.

✈️ Earlier today, a drone was intercepted deeper than usual in the Galilee, northern Israel.

A 43-y/o Israeli settler woman was injured from the sharpnel, according to media.

📷 Additionally, about a dozen rockets were fired at Meron Mountain.

No impacts reported inside the base nor the settlement.

📷 On the other hand, Israeli artillery targeted Khiyam village.

Additional airstrikes were carried out in Markaba village, targeting the same building attacks yesterday. It was a civilian-owned business center.

📑 The 282nd Artillery Regiment of the Israeli army carried out a drill this week, simulating war with Hezbullah.

This regiment has been deployed on the border for the past 3 months, and firing artillery on daily bases.

The statement claims that the drill included "rapid deployment of howitzers," and was aimed at simulating "various battle scenarios on the border with Lebanon against the Hezbullah."

📷 An Israeli airstrike targets the village of Aitaroun.

📷 Followed by another attack on Maroun al-Ras

📷 And the outskirts of Bint Jbeil village - Aynatah.

📷 The attack in Bint Jbeil destroyed the house of a civilian. No casualties.

📑 Updates on Gaza

- Hamas representatives demanded that the Turkish government be added as a guarantor of the agreement during ceasefire negotiations

- Israel gave Hamas one week to accept the current ceasefire deal, or else Israel will start the operation in Rafah

- US threatens Israel that if they start the operation in Rafah without coordination with the U.S, the Biden administration will delay weapon supplies and restrict others

- CIA director to travel to Egypt to assist in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations

[Photo from Northern Gaza today]

📹 The military media of Hamas released footage of their attack on Israel from south Lebanon.

🗣️ As of now, Hezbullah took credit for the very limited rocket attack on Rwaysat al-Alam base and an open land facing the village of Yaroun.

No one claimed the drone infiltration nor the rocket barrage toward Meron Mountain.

🔴🎓 U.S.: After 100+ encampments and 2,300 arrests... 5 deals!

Most of the anti-genocide student protests have been facing police repression and violent Zionist counter-‌protestors, but agreements were reached at 5 places, after which students ended their protests:

⬥ Evergreen State College (the university of Rachel Corrie). It'll “address divestment from companies that profit from gross human rights violations and/or the occupation of Palestinian territories”, and it'll block studying abroad in all of Palestine (“where our students are denied entry based on their identity as Pali or Jews”) [more]

⬥ Rutgers Uni. [PDF] Accepts 10 scholarships for Gaza, ties with Birzeit Uni, recognition of flags, but won't stop Tel Aviv partnership. Professor union head Todd Wolfson said 150 faculty members had volunteered to support students. (2 ⁠May)

⬥ Uni of Minnesota [PDF] (1 May)
⬥ Brown Uni [PDF] (30 ⁠Apr)
⬥ Northwestern Uni [PDF] (29 ⁠Apr)
(No commitment of divestment, but possible review. Other demands were met.)

⋯ Rachel Corrie’s dad proud of Evergreen State College protest deal

“I’m proud of the students at Evergreen [for] the action that they took and the way they managed to get those concerns across,” Corrie’s father, Craig Corrie, told NewsNation on Friday (3 May).

📑Hezbollah daily brief 04/05/2024:

- Eastern sector:

1- At 00:50, Israeli soldiers were targeted inside the Bayad Blida site with artillery shells.

2- At 15:30, the Radar site in Lebanon's Shebaa was targeted with missiles.

3- At 19:05, the Metula site was targeted with appropriate weapons.

-Western sector:

1- At 14:10, the surveillance equipment at Al-Raheb site was targeted with appropriate weapons.

Translated by @thecradlemedia

⚠️ An Israeli airstrike this morning is Mays al-Jabal village murdered three civilians.

🌷 According to initial reports, the Israeli attack on Mays al-Jabal killed a family of 4.

They had drove there from Beirut to check on their house while a funeral was being held in the village.

📹 The Israeli enemy released footage of their attacks on the southern neighbourhood of Khiyam village and Matmoura area yesterday night.

The statement made no mention on this morning's attack on Mays al-Jabal.