[🇧🇩] Israel and Hamas war in Gaza-----Can Bangladesh be a peace broker?

[Saif]

KFC outlet vandalised in Sylhet over Coca-Cola sales

Protesters in Sylhet have vandalised a KFC outlet, accusing it of selling Coca-Cola products during a rally condemning Israeli aggression in Gaza and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people. A nearby outlet of international footwear brand Bata was also attacked and heavily damaged during

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

KFC outlet vandalised in Sylhet over Coca-Cola sales
Published :
Apr 07, 2025 17:55
Updated :
Apr 07, 2025 17:55

Protesters in Sylhet have vandalised a KFC outlet, accusing it of selling Coca-Cola products during a rally condemning Israeli aggression in Gaza and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.

A nearby outlet of international footwear brand Bata was also attacked and heavily damaged during the protests on Monday, reports bdnews24.com.

The incidents took place around 3pm at the KFC branch in Mirabazar and the Bata showroom in Dargah Gate, according to Md Ziaul Haque, chief of Sylhet Metropolitan Police’s Kotwali Police Station.

“Police arrived at the scene upon receiving the news, and efforts are ongoing to bring the situation under control,” he said.

Witnesses said that a protest march was passing by the KFC outlet when several individuals entered the restaurant and began smashing items inside. They threw soft drinks onto the street and shattered glass displays with sticks. Following the attack, the KFC branch was closed.

Members of the same procession also entered the nearby Bata showroom, smashing glass panels. Staff members reportedly fled the premises in fear during the attack.

Protesters claimed that there was no place in Bangladesh for businesses linked to Israel, accusing the KFC outlet of selling Israeli soft drink brands. “This will not be tolerated,” one of them said.

“The ongoing assault is not just against one region -- it’s an attack on the entire Muslim world. World leaders must act immediately to end this brutality.”

PROTESTS RESONATE ACROSS CITY

Various organisations staged protest marches across Sylhet city on Monday, condemning the indiscriminate attacks by Israeli forces in Gaza.

Residents from different neighborhoods joined the rallies, chanting slogans and participating in protest programmes.

The protests stretched from the Central Shaheed Minar in Chowhatta to Court Point in Bandar Bazar under banners of multiple organisations. Educational institutions across Sylhet also joined in, observing a “No work, no school” campaign in solidarity with the global movement.

At 11am, students from Sylhet Nursing College held a protest march near the Central Shaheed Minar, while employees of several telecom companies formed a human chain at the same time.

Speaking to reporters during the protest, Ibrahim, a nursing student from Parkview Medical College, said: “As a Muslim-majority country, we must raise our voice against Israel’s barbaric attacks. Israel is a cursed nation that continues to assault innocent Muslims.”

After Zuhr prayer, Bangladesh Anjuman-e-Talamiya Islamia’s Sylhet district and metropolitan branches led a massive protest in Bandar Bazar. Students, local residents, various Islamic groups, and social organisations also took part in demonstrations throughout the city.​

 

[Saif]

Security beefed up in diplomatic zone, US embassy

Security has been beefed in the diplomatic zone of the city following the demonstration near the US Embassy in Dhaka today, Monday, in protest of the Israeli genocide in Gaza and demanding independence of Palestine.

en.prothomalo.com

Security beefed up in diplomatic zone, US embassy
Staff CorrespondentDhaka
Published: 07 Apr 2025, 19: 57

Members of Bangladesh Army, BGB, APBn, SB, CID, police and intelligence units have been deployed in the area Prothom Alo.

Security has been beefed in the diplomatic zone of the city following the demonstration near the US Embassy in Dhaka today, Monday, in protest of the Israeli genocide in Gaza and demanding independence of Palestine.

Members of Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Armed Police Battalion (APBn), Special Branch (SB), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), police and intelligence units have been deployed in the area.

Security has been tightened in the entire diplomatic zone in the capital’s Gulshan.

Students from United International University (UIU) and other private universities in the area had been protesting in front of the US embassy since 10:00 am. Even common people joined the demonstration.

Visiting the area, the protesting students were seen demonstrating opposite to the embassy. They divided in small groups and chanted different slogans against the Israeli aggression in Gaza. Members of the army, police and APBn were standing right before them behind the barricade. BGB members took position in front of the barricade.

The protesters left the road after 2:00 pm.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) assistant commissioner (AC) of Gulshan Zone confirmed this correspondent that the additional security measures had been taken.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said people of Bangladesh staged demonstrations against the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Security has been beefed up in the diplomatic zone due to this. Apart from police, members of the army, BGB, CID, SB, intelligence and the diplomatic zone security officials are stationed here.

Besides, the law enforcement agencies have stopped vehicular movement along the road adjacent to the embassy. They have also limited public movement in the area, the police officials on duty near the embassy confirmed.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh condemns Israeli killings, human rights violations in Gaza

The government of Bangladesh on Monday expressed its strongest condemnation of the Israeli occupying forces’ continued mass killing

en.prothomalo.com

Bangladesh condemns Israeli killings, human rights violations in Gaza
UNB Dhaka
Published: 07 Apr 2025, 17: 16

Logo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The government of Bangladesh on Monday expressed its strongest condemnation of the Israeli occupying forces’ continued mass killing and gross violations of human rights in the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s ongoing military attacks since last month's unilateral breach of the ceasefire have killed scores of Palestinians, mostly women and children as well as blocked the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza leading to a human catastrophe.

"Evidently, Israel has shown no regard to repeated international appeals and has instead engaged in an increasingly intense killing spree," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bangladesh strongly denounced the Israeli occupying forces’ indiscriminate aerial bombardment of densely populated civilian areas in Gaza with the overt intention of carrying out ethnic cleansing against the defenseless Palestinian population.

The government of Bangladesh demanded that Israel immediately cease all military operations, exercise maximum restraint and abide by its duty under international humanitarian law.

Bangladesh appealed to the international community, in particular the United Nations, to discharge its moral and legal responsibilities by adopting immediate and effective steps towards the implementation of an unconditional ceasefire and the cessation of all hostilities for the protection of lives of civilians and unobstructed passage of humanitarian relief to besieged Gaza.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed the strong support of the government of Bangladesh for all the just rights of the Palestinian people, their right to self-determination and to the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The government of Bangladesh reiterated the necessity of returning to the negotiation platform for permanent peace in the Middle East, which is vital for both regional and global stability.

Bangladesh also appealed to all concerned to commit themselves to the path of diplomacy and dialogue to put an end to the violence and sufferings afflicting the Palestinian people.

Bangladesh said it remains steadfast and unequivocal in its call on the global community to work towards a two state solution of the Palestinian issue based on international law, United Nations resolutions, and the Palestinian aspirations for peace, dignity and justice.​

 

[Saif]

Israel’s brutality in Gaza: Students across country boycott classes, exams

Students of different educational institutions of Bangladesh are observing a strike today, Monday, in protest of Israel's brutality in Gaza, Palestine

en.prothomalo.com

Israel’s brutality in Gaza: Students across country boycott classes, exams
Special Correspondent Dhaka
Published: 07 Apr 2025, 11: 57

Students of Badrunnesa Girls College bring out a rally protesting Israel's brutality in Gaza, Palestine. The picture is taken from Dhaka University area on 7 April, 2025Suvra Kanti Das

Students of different educational institutions of Bangladesh are observing a strike today, Monday, in protest of Israel's brutality in Gaza, Palestine.

The strike is being observed especially in universities.

Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University are among different institutions that officially suspended today’s classes and examinations.

In response to a global strike titled, “The world stops for Gaza: no work no school until the genocide stops” on 7 April, 2025, Dhaka University students have announced that they will be participating in the movement in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

Meanwhile, the DU authorities issued a notice expressing solidarity with the global strike and announced the suspension of academic activities today and closure of offices from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

Jahangirnagar University in a notice announced work abstention in all offices from 10:00am to 12 noon today. All academic activities have aslo been suspended.

Rajshahi University authorities called a solidarity rally at Paris Road on the campus from 11:00am to 12 noon. University teachers, students and officials have been asked to join the programme.

Students of Jagannath University also called a protest rally, alongside boycotting all classes and examinations scheduled for today, under the banner of ‘General students of Jagannath University’.

Jagannath University Teachers Association also expressed solidarity with the student’s and announced ‘no work’ for today, confirmed the association’s General Secretary Raid Uddin.

The association will hold a solidarity rally on the campus at 12 noon.

Students of different schools and colleges have also been closed today without making any official announcement.​

 

[Saif]

Israel kills Hezbollah commander

An Israeli strike Monday on southern Lebanon killed one person, according to the health ministry, with Israel’s military saying it had ‘eliminated’ a Hezbollah commander in the latest raid despite a truce...

www.newagebd.net

Israel kills Hezbollah commander
Agence France-Presse . Beirut 07 April, 2025, 22:20

United Nations peacekeepers drive in vehicles of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon past destroyed buildings while patrolling in Lebanon’s southern village of Kfar Kila close to the border with Israel on Sunday. | AFP photo

An Israeli strike Monday on southern Lebanon killed one person, according to the health ministry, with Israel’s military saying it had ‘eliminated’ a Hezbollah commander in the latest raid despite a truce.

Israel has continued to launch strikes on Lebanon since the November 27 ceasefire that largely halted more than a year of hostilities with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group including two months of all-out war.

The Lebanese health ministry said in a statement that an ‘Israeli enemy’ strike on Monday on the town of Taybeh, near the border, ‘led to the death of one citizen’.

The Israeli military said its forces ‘eliminated... Hezbollah’s artillery commander in the Taybeh area’, alleging that during the war, he had ‘directed and carried out numerous projectile attacks toward the Upper Galilee area’ in northern Israel.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency said the strike hit ‘in front of a motorcycle repair shop’ in the town, in south Lebanon’s Marjayoun district.

On Sunday, Lebanon said an Israeli strike killed two people in south Lebanon’s Zibqin, as the Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah operatives in the area.

The NNA also reported Israeli strikes on prefabricated homes in south Lebanon’s Naqura area on Sunday. Such structures have usually been set up for returning residents whose homes were destroyed in the conflict.

Israeli strikes last week also targeted other south Lebanon locations and even Hezbollah’s south Beirut bastion.

The truce accord was based on a UN Security Council resolution that says Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only forces in south Lebanon, and calls for the disarmament of all non-state groups.

On the weekend, visiting US deputy special envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus discussed the situation in south Lebanon and economic reforms with senior Lebanese officials, with talks also addressing Hezbollah’s disarmament.

Hezbollah was left severely weakened in the latest war.

In an interview with Lebanese television channel LBCI broadcast on Sunday, Ortagus said Washington continued to press Lebanon’s government ‘to fully fulfil the cessation of hostilities, and that includes disarming Hezbollah and all militias’, adding it should happen ‘as soon as possible’.

Lebanese president Joseph Aoun on Monday said the issue needed to be resolved ‘through communication and dialogue because in the end, Hezbollah is a Lebanese component’.

Authorities would soon begin work on drafting a ‘national security strategy’, he added.

Under the truce, Hezbollah was to withdraw fighters from south of Lebanon’s Litani River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure there.

Israel was to withdraw all its forces from south Lebanon but continues to hold five positions that it deems ‘strategic’.

Aoun urged Washington to pressure Israel to withdraw from the five border points, saying the on-going troop presence ‘complicates the situation’.​

 

[Saif]

Israeli strikes kill 19 in Gaza

Gaza’s civil defence agency said on Tuesday that Israeli strikes overnight killed at least 19 people across the Palestinian territory, where Israel has resumed its offensive against Hamas...

www.newagebd.net

Israeli strikes kill 19 in Gaza
Agence France-Presse . Gaza City 09 April, 2025, 00:33

A girl sits by the rubble outside the Sabah family building that was hit by Israeli air strikes in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday. | AFP photo

Gaza’s civil defence agency said on Tuesday that Israeli strikes overnight killed at least 19 people across the Palestinian territory, where Israel has resumed its offensive against Hamas.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called on Hamas to stop giving Israel ‘excuses’ to keep up its devastating offensive in Gaza.

In a statement, the Ramallah-based Palestinian presidency called on Hamas to ‘cease making any irresponsible decisions to spare our people the consequences of (the Israeli) aggression’.

The statement pointed to the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. ‘Stop giving the occupation any excuses to continue its genocide,’ it said.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that ‘19 civilians including several children were martyred’ and dozens more wounded in the latest Israeli raids.

Five children and four adults were killed in a strike that hit a home in the central city of Deir el-Balah, while two separate pre-dawn attacks on Gaza City and Beit Lahia in the north left a total of 10 people dead, Bassal said.

Separately, a media outlet affiliated with the Islamic Jihad movement, a Hamas ally, announced the death on Monday of an employee named Ahmed Mansur in an Israeli strike on a tent used by journalists in the Khan Yunis area.

The Hamas government media office had on Monday reported the death of journalist Hilmi al-Faqaawi, who worked for a local news agency, in the same strike, which also wounded another nine.

The Israeli military meanwhile said the strike had targeted ‘Hamas terrorist Hassan Abdel Fattah Mohammed Aslih’, claiming that he operated ‘under the guise of a journalist and owns a press company.’

It said Aslih had ‘infiltrated Israeli territory and participated in the murderous massacre carried out by the Hamas terrorist organisation’ on October 7, 2023.

Israel resumed intense strikes on the Gaza Strip on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. Efforts to restore the truce have so far failed.

According to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, at least 1,391 Palestinians have been killed in the renewed Israeli operations, taking the overall death toll since the start of the war to 50,752.

Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh should intervene fast in the Gaza genocide case

Bangladesh made written and/or oral submissions in the four advisory opinions related to Palestine.

www.thedailystar.net

Bangladesh should intervene fast in the Gaza genocide case

Palestinians shop in an open-air market among the ruins of houses and buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes during the conflict, amid a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip November 30, 2023. Reuters file photo.

The renewed official condemnation by the Government of Bangladesh on April 7, 2025, of the "mass killing and gross violations of human rights in the Gaza Strip," has brought to light one of its dormant promises regarding international justice. It relates to Bangladesh's pledge to intervene in the Gaza genocide case between South Africa and Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh expressed its intention to intervene in the case by issuing a press statement on January 14, 2024, just 16 days after South Africa filed the case against Israel under the Genocide Convention. Though 13 countries have already approached the ICJ with their intervention applications, Bangladesh has yet to make any concrete measures reflecting the prior commitment.

It is worth mentioning that Bangladesh has a constitutional obligation to support the Palestinian cause as per Article 25 of our constitution. As a long-time supporter of the Palestinian cause, Bangladesh has endorsed it at international forums, both individually and collectively with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Earlier, on November 17, 2023, Bangladesh, along with South Africa, Bolivia, and Djibouti, referred the Palestine situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC). As regards the ICJ, Bangladesh made written and/or oral submissions in the four advisory opinions related to Palestine. Hence, it is incomprehensible why Bangladesh is still silent on its commitment to intervene.

Bangladesh has never intervened in an ICJ contentious case before, even though it had the opportunity to do so in the Rohingya genocide case. This calls for an assessment of its potential intervention within the ICJ's legal framework and relevant practices.

Under the ICJ statute, a state may intervene in two ways. First, under Article 62 of the ICJ statute, a state may intervene if it has an interest of a legal nature that may be affected by the court's decision. Second, under Article 63, a state may intervene when the interpretation of a multilateral treaty is in question, and it is a party to the treaty. From the language of the press statement of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it can be safely presumed that Bangladesh intends to intervene under Article 63. The nature of the Genocide Convention, which is a multilateral treaty, also confirms the nature of Bangladesh's potential intervention. Most of the interventions in the Genocide Convention-related cases are under Article 63.

At this stage, Bangladesh's potential intervention is complicated by its reservation on Article IX of the Genocide Convention, which states "Disputes between the Contracting Parties relating to the interpretation, application or fulfilment of the present Convention, including those relating to the responsibility of a State for genocide or for any of the other acts enumerated in article III, shall be submitted to the International Court of Justice at the request of any of the parties to the dispute." The US faced a similar complication when it sought to intervene in the Ukrainian genocide allegation case. Russia objected to the US intervention, and the ICJ, in its Order of June 5, 2023, declared it inadmissible due to the US reservation to Article IX.

It is important to note that the US intervention was specifically focused on Article IX and was made at the preliminary objections stage. The court's position was based on two key considerations. First, the US reservation to Article IX meant it had excluded the provision from the Convention as it applied to the US. Therefore, the court ruled that "the United States may not intervene in relation to the construction of Article IX of the Convention while it is not bound by that provision" (order of June 5, 2023). Second, at the preliminary objections stage, the ICJ primarily deals with jurisdictional and admissibility issues, so it was logical for the court to limit its ruling to Article IX while leaving open the possibility of a future US intervention at the merits stage (order of June 5, 2023).

The ICJ, in its order of April 5, 2024, set October 28, 2024, as the deadline for South Africa's memorial submission, i.e., a brief outlining their case and legal reasoning in the dispute. The deadline was met. Meanwhile, July 28, 2025, is the deadline for Israel's counter-memorial submission. Additionally, Israel had until January 28, 2025, to file its preliminary objections. While there is no publicly available information about Israel's preliminary objections, it has likely done so.
If Israel has indeed raised such objections, Bangladesh cannot intervene at this stage due to its reservation to Article IX. In that case, the fate of Bangladesh's intervention will depend on the judgment on preliminary objections. However, the ICJ has already found that it has prima facie jurisdiction over this case in its Provisional Measures Orders. Given its similarity to the Rohingya genocide case, it is unlikely that the court will rule otherwise in the preliminary objections judgment. If the case proceeds beyond this stage, Bangladesh will get at least two additional years to submit its intervention. However, given the political implications of the intervention on the case and the dispute, Bangladesh should consider intervening at its earliest opportunity.

At the same time, Bangladesh must carefully determine the scope of its intervention. South Africa's claims in the case are expected to focus on Articles I-VI of the Genocide Convention. Once the memorial and other case documents become available, Bangladesh will gain a clearer understanding of potential areas for intervention. Given that many states are expected to intervene, Bangladesh should strategically determine its scope to maximise the impact of its intervention on the proceedings.

Bangladesh should submit its declaration of intervention at the earliest opportunity, regardless of the preliminary objections issue. Typically, the ICJ scrutinises a state's declaration of intervention, but recent cases indicate that Article 63 interventions are generally permitted. Since 13 states have already submitted their declarations of intervention and/or applications for permission to intervene, Bangladesh should not wait for the preliminary objection's outcome. The interim government of Bangladesh should reaffirm the relevance of the previous government's declaration and set a timeline for submitting its intervention request.

Quazi Omar Foysal is lecturer at American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) and advocate at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.​

 

[Saif]

Gaza transformed into killing field: UN

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that Gaza had become ‘a killing field’ because Israel has continued to block aid, an accusation an Israeli official quickly denied, saying there was ‘no shortage’ of aid...

www.newagebd.net

Gaza transformed into killing field: UN
Agence France-Presse . United Nations 09 April, 2025, 22:13

Palestinian rescuers work at the site of an Israeli strike on a residential area in Gaza City’s Shujaiyya neighbourhood, on Wednesday. The Israeli military said it targeted a senior Hamas militant, in a strike that Gaza’s civil defence agency said hit a residential building in Gaza City, killing at least 20 people. | AFP photo

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that Gaza had become ‘a killing field’ because Israel has continued to block aid, an accusation an Israeli official quickly denied, saying there was ‘no shortage’ of aid.

‘More than an entire month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza. No food. No fuel. No medicine. No commercial supplies. As aid has dried up, the floodgates of horror have re-opened,’ Guterres said in remarks to journalists.

Pointing to the Geneva Conventions governing the treatment of people in war, Guterres emphasised the obligation of the ‘occupying power’ to ensure the provision of food and medical supplies to the population.

‘None of that is happening today. No humanitarian supplies can enter Gaza,’ Guterres said.

Israeli ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein rejected the allegations, saying there was ‘no shortage of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.’

Marmorstein further alleged that Hamas has used recent aid to Gaza to ‘rebuild its war machine.’

Guterres also referenced recent Israeli proposals over controlling aid into Gaza, which a UN source said included monitoring calories to prevent misuse by Hamas.

‘The Israeli authorities newly proposed ‘authorisation mechanisms’ for aid delivery risk further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour,’ he told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

‘Let me be clear — we will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles — humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality,’ Guterres said, demanding guarantees for the unhindered entry of aid to the coastal territory.

Guterres also raised the alarm about the situation in the West Bank.

‘The current path is a dead end — totally intolerable in the eyes of international law and history,’ he said.

‘And the risk of the occupied West Bank transforming into another Gaza makes it even worse.

‘It is time to end the dehumanisation, protect civilians, release the hostages, ensure lifesaving aid, and renew the ceasefire.’​