The US House of Representatives passed legislation on Saturday to transfer frozen Russian sovereign assets to Ukraine and ban TikTok unless it severs ties to its Chinese parent company. | House lawmakers passed the bill, dubbed the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act, in a vote of 360 in favor and 58 opposed. ● The legislation allows the executive branch to transfer frozen Russian sovereign assets to Ukraine, sanctions Iran, disrupts the ability of Palestinian organization Hamas to fund terrorism and sanctions entities involved in international fentanyl trafficking.

💬 Christine Lagarde says US plan to raise debt against Russian assets carries legal risk (Financial Times) | “Moving from freezing the assets, to confiscating them, to disposing of them is something that needs to be looked at very carefully,” Lagarde said, warning it could entail “breaking the international order that you want to protect; that you would want Russia to respect”. ■ Legal risks loom over proposal to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, warns ECB chief (Yahoo)

■ IMF warns about confiscating Russian assets (RT.com)
■ US House approves 89 billion euros aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan (EuroNews)
■ US House advances $95 billion Ukraine-Israel package toward Saturday vote (Euractiv)

Day 196 | During the past 24 hours:

• 4 massacres committed by the Israeli occupation

• 37 people killed

• 68 injured pic.twitter.com/XrnPkx1FkC

— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) April 20, 2024

■ Israel’s war on Gaza live news: Israel bombs Rafah, Haniyeh meets Erdogan (Al Jazeera)
■ War on Gaza: A cruel month of massacres for Palestinians as the US mask is ripped off (Ammiel Alcalay)(MEE)

Alison Weir | In full view of the world, the US is facilitating “some of the worst crimes of our age,” an actions that could ultimately cause America’s downfall… Why is this happening and what can be done about it? | British journalist and author Owen Jones recently made a video describing in excruciating detail Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. Many others have also reported on this. Medical Aid CEO Melanie Ward says that “children are being starved at the fastest rate the world has ever seen.” Jones concludes that Israel’s ruthless actions – publicly supported by Western governments at a time when the world is seeing them in real time – could prove the downfall of the West. He points out that “Western governments have openly facilitated some of the worst crimes of our age” and concludes: “I don’t think the West is ever going to recover from this.” It’s important to examine why the West is taking such irrational, immoral, and self-destructive actions.

■ Essential facts and stats about the Hamas-Gaza-Israel war (If Americans Knew)

A heart-breaking scene of a Palestinian father crying while bidding farewell to his only daughter who lost her life in an Israeli airstrike on Rafah, leaving the bereaved father in deep grief. pic.twitter.com/sW5qGkUZ9f

— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) April 20, 2024

As the humanitarian crisis worsens in the Gaza Strip, the 196th day of Israeli occupation has brought more bloodshed and suffering to the region. With over 34,000 dead and nearly 77,000 injured since October 7, the Israeli occupation forces are showing no signs of slowing down. | In the past 24 hours alone, Israeli occupation forces have committed four massacres in Gaza, leaving 37 dead and 68 injured. Air strikes and artillery shelling have devastated the area, with civilians being the primary targets of these brutal attacks. ● The situation has become dire, with more than 90% of the population displaced and struggling to survive amidst the siege. The Ministry of Health has reported that there are still victims trapped in the rubble, unable to receive medical assistance due to ongoing attacks. ● Israeli warplanes continue to bomb residential areas, leaving families devastated and cities in ruins. The people of Gaza are living in fear as the violence escalates, with no end in sight. To make matters worse, the Gaza Strip is facing a severe water crisis. With all water wells in the city shut down due to fuel shortages, residents are now facing extreme thirst.

■ War on Gaza: A cruel month of massacres for Palestinians as the US mask is ripped off (Ammiel Alcalay)(MEE)

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has confirmed that the attack came in response to the aggression against the PMF, and in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza. | The Islamic Resistance in Iraq launched a drone attack against a strategic Israeli target in the '48 Israeli-occupied territories in response to the Israeli attack against a military base where a Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) group was deployed. ● In a statement on its Telegram channel, the Iraqi Resistance adopted the operation against the Eilat port on Saturday morning, noting that it was in response to the violation of Iraqi sovereignty, the aggression against the PMF, and in support of Gaza against the Israeli massacres and genocide against Palestinians in the Strip.