Gaza live: Israel continues bombing central Gaza

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Pro-Palestine students at campuses across the UK have set up encampments demanding that their academic institutions divest from companies involved in the arms trade to Israel.

Students at several institutions, including the universities of Manchester, Bristol and Leeds, are taking part in a protest movement in response to Israel's devastating war on Gaza.

The conflict has killed more than 34,500 Palestinians so far, with a further 10,000 people believed dead and buried under the rubble.

Women and children make up the vast majority of those killed by Israel.

READ MORE: Pro-Palestine students occupy university campuses in UK

Israel's war cabinet is expected to meet today at 6:30pm local time to discuss the next steps in negotiations regarding a hostage and truce deal in Gaza, the Times of Israel reports.

Police forces have begun trying to disperse the pro-Palestine encampment in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Protesters can be heard shouting "you don't scare us" and "peaceful protest".

You can follow Middle East Eye's live stream from UCLA here.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly stepped up its arrests of individuals over social media posts relating to Israel's war on Gaza as the kingdom may be inching closer to a deal that would normalise relations between the two countries.

Quoting people "inside and outside Saudi Arabia" with knowledge on the matter, Bloomberg reports that arrests include an executive with a company involved in Saudi Arabia's Vision 2023 economic transformation plan who expressed views on the Gaza war deemed to be incendiary.

A media figure who said Israel should never be forgiven for its actions in Gaza has also been detained, so has an individual who called for a boycott of American fast-food restaurants in the country.

Iran's foreign ministry announced on Thursday that it is imposing sanctions on over two dozen American and British individuals and entities for "supporting and complicity in the Israeli regime’s heinous acts against the Palestinians especially in the Gaza Strip," Iran's IRNA news agency reported.

The foreign ministry's statement said the move was in accordance with Iran's "Law on Countering the Violation of Human Rights and Adventurous and Terrorist Activities of the United States in the Region".

The American individuals and entities will be sanctioned "in connection with their support and financing of the Zionist regime of Israel’s terrorist acts, glorification and supporting terrorism and gross violations of human rights against the Palestinian people, and in particular, the people of the Gaza strip," the statement read.

Companies include the Lockheed Martin Corporation due to its "involvement in supplying weaponry to Israeli regime", Kharon Company for its role in sanctioning Hamas, General Dynamics, Skydio Engineering Company and Chevron Corporation for their supply of weaponry and resources to Israel.

Individuals include Jason Greenblatt, former US President Donald Trump's adviser on Israel, Jason Brodsky from United against Nuclear Iran, Clifford D. May, founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, amongst others.

In accordance with another law on countering "hostile" Israeli activities in the region, the foreign ministry also said it will sanction British individuals and entities including the Royal Air Force Akrotiri in Cyprus, Elbit Systems, the UK Royal Navy in Red Sea HMC Diamond, Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps, and several others.

Gaza's health ministry said that 28 people were killed in Israeli attacks on the enclave in the past 24 hours and 51 were wounded.

This brings the total to 34,596 people killed and 77,816 wounded since the beginning of the war on 7 October.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid met with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed during his diplomatic visit to the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi, Lapid's office said.

Lapid and bin Zayed discussed the ongoing efforts on reaching a hostage and truce deal in Gaza, and what the plans for the enclave would look like after the war. 

Lapid, meeting bin Zayed in the latter's private residence, told the Emirati minister that "every country in the region can influence the deal".

"Israel has an interest in creating, together with the United Arab Emirates and moderate Arab countries, political and economic cooperation that can offer solutions to global problems and deal with regional threats of all kinds," he said.

Police forces have encircled the hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), ordering them to clear the area.

The protesters can be heard chanting "free Palestine" and "shame on you" to the police officers.

The gathering comes a night after Israel supporters attacked UCLA's Gaza encampment. Police only intervened several hours after the attack and made no arrests.

According to a tally done by the Associated Press, over 1,600 people have been arrested on at least 38 occasions in student-led pro-Palestine protests and encampments in at least 30 US university campuses since 18 April.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

Here are the latest updates:

• An Israeli air strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip killed at least two Palestinians
• Palestinian Authority security forces shot dead a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighter in Tulkarem, occupied West Bank, the PIJ says
• US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held another phone call with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, to discuss "the ongoing hostage negotiations, humanitarian assistance efforts and Rafah".
• Former US President Donald Trump called the police's raid on pro-Palestine protesters in Columbia University a "beautiful thing to watch"
• At least 20 pro-Palestine protesters have been arrested at the University of Texas at Dallas
• 57 US House Democrats have signed a letter urging President Biden to prevent an Israeli assault on Rafah

Good evening Middle East Eye readers,

Israeli forces have killed at least 33 Palestinians and wounded 57 more over the past 24 hours, according to the Palestinian health ministry. 

This brings the Palestinian death toll to more than 34,568, with at least 77,765 wounded and an estimated 10,000 missing and presumed dead, according to the Palestinian health ministry and civil defence in Gaza.

In other developments:

- Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Wednesday that Colombia will cut diplomatic ties with Israel "for having a president who is genocidal”

- A company owned by an influential Egyptian businessman and ally of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is making around $2m a day from Palestinians fleeing  Israel's war on Gaza, Middle East Eye has revealed

- A Jordanian aid convoy consisting of 31 trucks has entered northern Gaza through the Erez crossing into Beit Hanoun for the first time since war 

- US Secretary of State Blinken visited the Keren Shalom crossing on Wednesday to examine aid delivery to Gaza and reinstated US opposition to a military operation in Rafah in the absence of a humanitarian plan

- Hamas has said it will respond to an Israeli truce proposal “in a short period”, according to a report by AFP

- Turkey has joined South Africa in its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and will file a petition soon

- Pro-Israeli protesters attacked the pro-Palestine encampment at the University of California using fireworks and bear spray, according to student newspaper

- New York City police violently raided Columbia University late on Tuesday to arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators

- An Israeli air strike in Rafah has killed four people, including two children and a woman, on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. 

Palestinians in Gaza’s city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip gathered on Wednesday to show support for the ongoing student protests at universities worldwide.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Wednesday that Colombia will cut diplomatic ties with Israel “for having a government, for having a president who is genocidal”. 

The war on Gaza has dominated this year’s 'Revolutionary' May Day demonstrations in Berlin, Germany.

More than 10.000 people took the streets on Labour Day, 1 May, in support of workers' rights and against Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, displaying symbols of solidarity with Palestinians.