Maldives government shows solidarity with Palestine, bans Israeli passport holders

The country said it will prevent Israeli passport holders until  Israel stops attacking Palestine.

The amendment was ratified by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and published in the Government Gazette on Tuesday afternoon, reported Sunline Online International.

President Muizzu’s cabinet made the decision to make legislative changes to ban Israeli passports on June 2, 2024, the news portal reported.

Anti-Israel Sentiment Rising

A spike in anti-Israeli sentiments has been seen rising in several youth Asian nations, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, in recent times.

President Mohamed Muizzu has “resolved to impose a ban on Israeli passports”, a spokesman for his office earlier said in a statement as quoted by Al Jazeera, without giving details of when the new law would take effect.

According to reports, Muizzu also announced a national fundraising campaign called “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine”.

IDF Confirms Eliminating Hamas’ Shejaiya Battalion Commander

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday said Hamas’ Shejaiya Battalion commander Muhammad al-‘Ajlah was eliminated during an airstrike in northern Gaza on Sunday.

"Muhammad al-‘Ajlah served as the commander of a combat support company in the Shejaiya battalion throughout the war and was eliminated," IDF said in a statement.

The Israeli forces said he was responsible for arming the battalion's terrorists with weapons used to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.

"Al-‘Ajlah was the fifth commander of Hamas' Shejaiya battalion to be eliminated since the beginning of the war, and the third since the start of the renewed operations in Gaza," IDF said.

"Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including issuing advanced warnings to civilians, precise munitions, and aerial surveillance.," the force said.

Israeli fighter jet drops bomb close to Israeli community on Gaza border, no injury

The Israeli fighter jet dropped a bomb close to the Israeli community on the Gaza border on Tuesday, with the Israel Defense Forces describing it as a 'technical malfunction'.

The bomb fell close to the Nir Yithzak kibbutz adjacent to southern Gaza, media reports said.

“A short while ago, a munition fell from an IDF fighter jet that was on its way to a mission in the Gaza Strip. The munition landed in an open area near Nir Yitzhak due to a technical malfunction,” the Israeli military said in a short statement as quoted by CNN.

The IDF did not clarify the type of bomb.

There are no injuries as a result of the bomb falling, the military told CNN, and the incident is now under review.

A spokesman for Nir Yitzhak told the American news channel that the bomb landed in the village’s farm area.

Nir Yitzhak was one of the areas that was attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

The Israeli military commenced its offensive on Gaza on March 18, ending the two-month ceasefire.