Biden Calls on Netanyahu to Calm Situation in West Bank

A protest in the city of Nablus in the West Bank on Thursday to show solidarity with Gazans. (AFP)
A protest in the city of Nablus in the West Bank on Thursday to show solidarity with Gazans. (AFP)
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Biden Calls on Netanyahu to Calm Situation in West Bank

A protest in the city of Nablus in the West Bank on Thursday to show solidarity with Gazans. (AFP)
A protest in the city of Nablus in the West Bank on Thursday to show solidarity with Gazans. (AFP)

Israel has continued the arrests campaign in the West Bank, at a time when US President Joe Biden called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to calm the situation there and avoid “pouring gasoline on fire”.

The US officials said that in phone calls with Netanyahu, Biden has expressed concern about settler violence and the growing number of Palestinians who have been killed in the West Bank since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.

Biden told Netanyahu that Israel needs to calm the situation in the West Bank and prevent settler violence against Palestinians — or else risk an explosion of violence there that would make the current crisis even worse, the officials said.

He added that the settlers are “pouring gasoline on fire”.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State sent US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf to the region to push forward efforts to prevent the spillover of the conflict.

“I continue to be alarmed about extremist settlers attacking Palestinians in the West Bank... The deal was made, and they’re attacking Palestinians in places that they’re entitled to be, and it has to stop,” Biden said during a press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Since Oct. 7, the settlers have killed five Palestinians in the West Bank while the army killed 100 and arrested 1,500.

Israel fears increasing tension in the West Bank as the war in Gaza continues. In addition to the killing, Israel is also arming the settlers in an unprecedented manner.

The West Bank was fully closed and strict measures were applied to the military checkpoints that have become humiliating passages for Palestinians who have to move between cities.

On Wednesday, the army killed six Palestinians. Four of them were targeted by a drone in Jenin.

A 17-year-old boy, Asid Hamdi Hamidat, was killed on Thursday by Israeli gunfire in the Jalazone camp north of Ramallah, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. His death raises the total number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the beginning of this year to 313, including 105 since 7 October.

Israel arrested on Thursday over 100 more Palestinians in the West Bank, including seven women at least.

The arrests were mainly in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Salfit, Nablus, and Tubas. Activists from “Hamas”, cadres from “Fatah” and women including Suhair Barghouthi from the village of Kaubar and journalist Lama Khater were arrested.

In a statement, Hamas said that the arrests in the West Bank were part of the aggression against the Palestinian people in a desperate attempt to repress the people’s movement against the fascist occupation.

Hamas stressed that the Palestinians wouldn’t be weakened by the Zionist encroachment on the people’s blood. They wouldn’t be weakened by the arrests or systematic terrorism policy, added the statement.

The Israel army revealed that a total of 1,450 Palestinians, including 700 from “Hamas” have been arrested since Oct. 7.

The total number of prisoners in Israeli custody has now reached approximately 6,700, including 50 females, and more than 1,600 administrative detainees.

These figures don’t include around 4,000 workers from the Gaza Strip who were in Israel when “Hamas” launched its deadly attack on Oct. 7.



Yemen's Houthis Allege US Airstrike Hit a Prison Holding African Migrants

Yemeni soldiers walk amid the rubble as they inspect a damaged area after US airstrikes targeted a neighborhood in Sana'a, Yemen, 27 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARH
Yemeni soldiers walk amid the rubble as they inspect a damaged area after US airstrikes targeted a neighborhood in Sana'a, Yemen, 27 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARH
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Yemen's Houthis Allege US Airstrike Hit a Prison Holding African Migrants

Yemeni soldiers walk amid the rubble as they inspect a damaged area after US airstrikes targeted a neighborhood in Sana'a, Yemen, 27 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARH
Yemeni soldiers walk amid the rubble as they inspect a damaged area after US airstrikes targeted a neighborhood in Sana'a, Yemen, 27 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARH

Yemen’s Houthi militant group on Monday alleged a US airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing and wounding some of the 100 inmates held there. The US military had no immediate comment.

The strike in Yemen's Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, is the latest incident in the country's decadelong war.

It also likely will renew questions from activists about the American campaign, known as “Operation Rough Rider,” which has been targeting the group as the Trump administration negotiates with their main benefactor, Iran, over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.

The US military's Central Command in a statement early Monday before news of the alleged strike broke sought to defend its policy of offering no specific details of its extensive airstrike campaign.

“To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations,” Central Command said. “We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we’ve done or what we will do.”

It did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about the alleged strike in Saada.

Graphic footage shows aftermath of explosion

Graphic footage aired by the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel showed what appeared to be dead bodies and others wounded at the site. An al-Masirah correspondent said some 100 migrants had been detained at the site.

Casualty figures weren’t immediately clear. However, footage from the site analyzed by the AP suggested some kind of explosion took place there, with its cement walls seemingly peppered by debris fragments and the wounds suffered by those there.

A woman's voice, soft in the footage, can be heard repeating the start of a prayer in Arabic: “In the name of God.” An occasional gunshot rang out as medics sought to help those wounded.

US military says over 800 strikes conducted in campaign so far

Meanwhile, US airstrikes overnight targeting Yemen's capital killed at least eight people, the Houthis said. The American military acknowledged carrying out over 800 individual strikes in their monthlong campaign.

The overnight statement from the US military's Central Command also said its “Operation Roughrider” targeting the Houthis had “killed hundreds of fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” including those associated with its missile and drone program. It did not identify any of those officials.

“Iran undoubtedly continues to provide support to the Houthis,” the statement said. “The Houthis can only continue to attack our forces with the backing of the Iranian regime.”

"We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region," it added.

The US is targeting the Houthis because of the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on Israel. The Houthis also are the last militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel.