GAZA: The sick and dying are rapidly pushing Gaza’s hospitals close to capacity amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the impoverished Palestinian territory, health officials said.
Palestinians fear a combination of poverty, medical shortages, vaccine skepticism, poor COVID-19 data and mass gatherings during Ramadan could accelerate the increase, which began before the start of the holy month on April 13.
Gaza health officials said around 70 percent of intensive care unit beds were occupied, up from 37 percent at the end of March. There were 86 deaths over the past six days, an increase of 43 percent over the week before.
“The hospitals are almost at full capacity. They’re not quite there yet, but severe and critical cases have increased significantly in the last three weeks, which is a concern,” said Dr. Ayadil Saparbekov, head of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Team in the Palestinian Territories.
Gaza’s daily positivity rate reached as high as 43 percent this week, although Saparbekov said that number could be inflated because a shortage of tests meant they were mostly given to people already showing symptoms.
Saparbekov also said Gaza does not have the capacity to identify highly infectious COVID-19 variants when testing, meaning there is little data on them.
Graveyards are also feeling the strain. In Gaza City, gravedigger Mohammed Al-Haresh said he had been burying up to 10 COVID-19 victims per day, up from one or two a month ago.
“Wartime was difficult, but the coronavirus has been much harder for us,” said Haresh, who dug graves throughout the 2014 Israel-Gaza war.
“In war, we would dig graves or bury the dead during a truce or ceasefire. With the coronavirus, there is no truce.”
Densely populated and home to 2 million Palestinians, Gaza has for years had limited access to the outside world because of a blockade led by Israel and supported by Egypt.
Both countries cite security concerns over Hamas, saying they want to stop money and weapons entering.
Palestinians say the blockade amounts to collective punishment and that it has crippled Gaza’s economy and medical infrastructure, with shortages of critical supplies and equipment hampering their ability to tackle the pandemic.
The situation in Gaza is a stark contrast to Israel, where a world-beating vaccination rollout has led to more than 53 percent of Israelis being fully vaccinated.
Amid growing concern, Hamas was set to begin a week of nightly curfews, shutting down mosques that host hundreds of worshippers for Ramadan evening prayers.
But with around 49 percent of Gazans unemployed and parliamentary elections slated for May 22, Hamas has held back from more drastic measures that could further damage the economy.
“We may impose additional measures, but we do not expect at this phase to go into a full lockdown,” Hamas spokesman Eyad Al-Bozom said.
Health officials say the factors that led to the current spike include the flouting of guidelines for mask-wearing and social distancing and the opening in February of Gaza’s border with Egypt, which may have allowed in new variants.
Suspicion of vaccines also runs deep. A majority of Gazans — 54.2 percent — said they would not take the vaccine, against 30.5 percent who said they would and 15.3 percent who were undecided, according to an April 21 survey by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center.
Just 34,287 people have been vaccinated, even though the enclave has received 109,600 doses since February donated by Russia, the UAE and the global COVAX program.
“(The) reluctance of many, including medical staff, to be vaccinated remains a key concern,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an April 12 report.
One Palestinian eligible for Gaza’s initial round of vaccines, Qasem Abdul Ghafoor, said he decided to get the jab to protect himself and his family.
“The situation here is horrific. We took it lightly before, but I assure you, it should not be taken lightly,” he said.
Gaza gravediggers and medics stretched as COVID-19 spikes
https://arab.news/bwk9t
Gaza gravediggers and medics stretched as COVID-19 spikes
France’s Macron to visit Lebanon this week
- On Monday, Aoun named judge and diplomat Nawaf Salam as prime minister
BEIRUT: French leader Emmanuel Macron is slated to visit Lebanon on Friday, both countries said, in the second such trip by a head of state since Lebanon elected a president last week.
The office of new Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he met with the French ambassador to Beirut on Tuesday to discuss preparations for Macron’s visit. Macron’s office confirmed the date.
The trip comes after Lebanese lawmakers on Thursday elected Aoun president after two years of the position being vacant, under international pressure including from former colonial power France.
On Monday, Aoun named judge and diplomat Nawaf Salam as prime minister, giving him the tricky task of forming a cabinet to save the nation from five years of blistering economic crisis.
Macron’s office said the French president hoped to mark “the unwavering commitment of France to support Lebanon, its sovereignty and unity.”
Macron visited the country twice after a massive explosion at Beirut’s port in 2020 killed more than 220 people and decimated half the city.
His latest trip comes after a ceasefire in November, announced by Macron and US President Joe Biden, ended two months of all-out war between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Under that deal, the Lebanese army has 60 days to deploy alongside UN peacekeepers in the south of Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws.
At the same time, Hezbollah is required to pull its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure it has in the country’s south.
A committee composed of Israeli, Lebanese, French and US delegates, alongside a representative from UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL, has been tasked with monitoring the implementation of the deal.
“The trip will also be the occasion to work on the implementation of the ceasefire... and to reiterate France’s commitment toward this within UNIFIL,” his office said.
Macron said on Monday said Salam’s appointment of Salam represented “hope for change” in Lebanon.
Macron’s office said he hoped Salam’s government could be both “strong” and “represent all the diversity of the Lebanese people.”
A Paris conference on aid for Lebanon in October raised around $800 million for humanitarian aid in the Mediterranean country.
Sudan army denies involvement in Al-Jazira state civilian assaults
- The Emergency Lawyers said the attacks in Um Al-Qura in eastern Al-Jazira began last week as the army advanced through the state
- The army and the RSF have been accused of war crimes, including targeting civilians and indiscriminately shelling residential areas
PORT SUDAN: Sudan’s army denied on Tuesday any involvement in assaults against civilians in the central state of Al-Jazira, after rights groups accused it and allied militias of killing 13 people, including two children.
The Emergency Lawyers, who have been documenting human rights abuses during the 20-month war between the army and rival paramilitaries, said the attacks in Um Al-Qura in eastern Al-Jazira began last week as the army advanced through the state.
On Saturday, the military recaptured the state capital, Wad Madani, pushing out the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who had dominated Al-Jazira since December 2023.
The lawyers’ group on Monday accused the army and allied militias of detaining “a number of civilians, including women,” in what they described as a part of campaigns targeting ethnic and regional communities accused of collaborating with the RSF.
They said that the abuses included “extrajudicial killing... kidnapping as well as physical and psychological humiliation and torture.”
Both the army and the RSF have been accused of war crimes, including targeting civilians and indiscriminately shelling residential areas.
Though the RSF has become notorious for alleged ethnic-based violence — leading the United States last week to accuse it of genocide — reports have also emerged of civilians being targeted on the basis of ethnicity in army-controlled areas.
US special envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello on Tuesday described the attacks as “appalling.”
The army “and associated militias must immediately take action to investigate and hold those responsible for such horrors accountable,” he wrote on social media site X.
The army on Tuesday attributed the attacks to “individual violations” and pledged to hold perpetrators to account.
It also accused unnamed groups of exploiting the incidents to blame the military while ignoring what it said were “ongoing and horrific war crimes” committed by the RSF.
Villages such as Kambo Tayba — where the attacks occurred — are home to communities of Kanabi, residents of informal settlements, traditionally seasonal agriculture workers, who according to the Emergency Lawyers have faced hate speech as well as accusations of aiding the RSF.
Community advocacy group the Kanabi Congress has blamed the “massacre” on the Sudan Shield Forces, a group commanded by Abu Aqla Kaykal that has been a key part of the army’s Al-Jazira offensive.
Kaykal in October defected to the army’s side, after serving as the RSF’s Al-Jazira commander during a time when the paramilitary unleashed a litany of horrors on the agricultural state, including laying siege to entire towns.
The Sudanese doctors’ union, a pro-democracy body that has documented abuses on both sides, on Tuesday called the attacks in Um Al-Qura “blatant violations of human dignity and rights.”
“This includes attacks on civilians under the pretext of their alleged cooperation with the RSF or carrying out retaliatory actions on tribal grounds,” they said in a statement.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been devastated by a war that has pitted army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan against his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the RSF.
The war has killed tens of thousands, uprooted more than 12 million and pushed the country to the brink of famine in what the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
Blinken proposes UN role, Palestinian state path in Gaza
- “We’ve long made the point to the Israeli government that Hamas cannot be defeated by a military campaign alone,” Blinken said
- Blinken said that Gaza should be under the control of the Palestinian Authority
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday proposed international security forces and temporary UN leadership to stabilize post-war Gaza but said Israel in turn must agree on a pathway to a Palestinian state.
With talks in Qatar nearing a ceasefire in the devastating 15-month war, Blinken laid out his long-awaited roadmap for post-war Gaza after a defeat of Hamas — with days left before he leaves office.
Blinken acknowledged the misgivings of Israel — where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a far-right government and expects even stronger US support under President-elect Donald Trump — but pleaded for a new approach.
“We’ve long made the point to the Israeli government that Hamas cannot be defeated by a military campaign alone,” Blinken said at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington.
“Without a clear alternative, a post-conflict plan and a credible political horizon for the Palestinians, Hamas — or something just as abhorrent and dangerous — will grow back,” he said.
In line with his calls since the start of the war, Blinken said that Gaza should be under the control of the Palestinian Authority — which now holds shaky, partial control of the West Bank and has been repeatedly undermined by Israel.
Acknowledging the limitations of the Palestinian Authority, Blinken said an unstated number of countries have offered to send troops and police to post-war Gaza.
He said that the “interim security mission” would include both foreign forces and “vetted Palestinian personnel.”
“We believe that the Palestinian Authority should invite international partners to help establish and run an interim administration with responsibility for key civil sectors in Gaza, like banking, water, energy, health,” Blinken said.
The Palestinian Authority would coordinate with Israel and the rest of the international community, which would be asked to provide funding.
A senior UN official would oversee the effort, which would be enshrined by a UN Security Council resolution, Blinken said.
“The interim administration would include Palestinians from Gaza and representatives from the PA selected following meaningful consultation with communities in Gaza,” Blinken said.
The interim authority “would hand over a complete responsibility to a fully reformed PA administration as soon as it’s feasible,” he said.
The post-war deal would take shape in negotiations after an initial ceasefire, which both Blinken and President Joe Biden said was on the “brink” of acceptance.
Trump has backed efforts to end the war but is also expected to ally himself firmly with Israel, to which Biden authorized billions in weapons but occasionally criticized over civilian deaths.
Netanyahu has long fought the idea of a Palestinian state, and his allies have described the renewed push for statehood as a reward for the October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest in Israel’s history.
Blinken rejected the argument, saying: “Far from rewarding Hamas, accepting a political horizon would be the ultimate rebuke to its nihilistic agenda of death and destruction.”
Blinken, who was repeatedly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters, also criticized Israel over actions during the conflict.
“Israel’s government has systematically undermined the capacity and legitimacy of the only viable alternative to Hamas, the Palestinian Authority.”
Nawaf Salam to begin consultations to form Lebanese government
- Nawaf Salam: I am not one of those who exclude or marginalize anyone; rather, I advocate for unity and national partnership
- Salam: The time has come to begin a new chapter rooted in justice, security, progress and opportunities for Lebanon to be a country of free people equal in rights and duties
BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam will begin non-binding parliamentary consultations on Wednesday and Thursday to form his government despite Hezbollah’s concerns about being excluded and doubts over the issue of legitimacy.
Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, have consistently adopted this approach during their periods in power to obstruct anything that does not align with their political ambitions.
Both President Joseph Aoun and Salam on Tuesday sought to reassure all parties in Lebanon despite the appointment of Salam lacking any Shiite parliamentary votes for him.
According to a political observer, there are fears of “potential obstacles to forming the government and granting it parliamentary confidence under the pretext of ‘lacking legitimacy,’ even if the cabinet includes Shiite figures in ministerial positions that may not meet their approval.”
Mohammed Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, took an antagonistic stance after meeting with Aoun on Monday, stating that favoring Salam for the premiership over Najib Mikati, the incumbent caretaker prime minister supported by Hezbollah, is “an attempt by some to foster division, fragmentation, and exclusion.”
He warned: “It is our right to demand a government that upholds the national pact. We will monitor developments wisely and see their actions to expel Israel from southern Lebanon and return the prisoners.”
In response, the president, speaking before the highest Shiite religious authority in Lebanon, Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, vice president of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, who visited him at the presidential palace, stressed that “no obstacles should be placed in the way of forming the government because we must seize the significant opportunities ahead of us. There is no time to waste, and we need to send positive messages abroad that Lebanon is capable of self-governance, transparent reconstruction, and building the state we all aspire to.”
Aoun emphasized that “the Shiites are not the only ones under threat; all of Lebanon is at risk. If one component is weakened, the entire country is weakened.”
He described the appointment of Salam to form the government as “the result of a democratic process that led to a certain outcome. There are additional phases to come. At times, we may have to take a step back, but the public interest remains the priority.”
Aoun said that “any attack on any part of Lebanon is an attack on all of Lebanon. We are pressing for Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south.”
The president continued: “Had there been a state and an army in the past, no one would have resorted to resistance.
“The current phase is different. The state bears responsibility, not just a single faction. The entire state and the Lebanese people as a whole are accountable."
He said that it is “not permissible for one group to bear the burden of this conflict (with Israel).”
Aoun recalled the position of Imam Musa Al-Sadr, who advocated for Lebanon’s neutrality in conflicts, noting that Lebanon, given its size, lacks the capacity to engage.
He addressed Sheikh Al-Khatib, saying: “You cannot distance yourselves from the teachings of Imam Al-Sadr; otherwise, you will not belong to the Supreme Islamic Shia Council or the Shiite community. Rest assured that no one will overpower anyone, no one will let anyone down, and no one will break anyone.”
Salam returned from The Hague late on Monday, shortly after being handed the responsibility of forming the government.
On Tuesday he met with the president and, for a brief period, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri joined the meeting.
According to protocol, Salam delivered his first address to the Lebanese people from the presidential palace, stating his “commitment to the challenging task of serving Lebanon.”
Salam said: “I listened to some concerns yesterday. I am not one of those who exclude or marginalize anyone; rather, I advocate for unity and national partnership, and my hands are extended to all to initiate reforms so that no citizen feels marginalized.”
He added: “The time has come to begin a new chapter rooted in justice, security, progress and opportunities for Lebanon to be a country of free people equal in rights and duties … working to extend the authority of the state over all its territories.”
Salam emphasized the need for the government “to formulate a comprehensive program aimed at fostering a productive economy and ensuring job opportunities for future generations.”
He said: “A significant portion of our population still have their homes destroyed, as well as their institutions, and we must rebuild the villages in the Bekaa, the south and Beirut. Reconstruction is not just a promise but a commitment.”
He also underscored the importance of executing the Taif Agreement, saying: “The foundation of the long-anticipated reforms lies in addressing the provisions of the Taif Agreement that remain unfulfilled and rectifying those that have been implemented.”
Salam called for “the establishment of extensive administrative decentralization, delivering justice to the victims of the port explosion, and compensating depositors who have suffered financial losses.”
He said: “I will guarantee that no citizen experiences feelings of injustice, marginalization, or exclusion.”
Furthermore, Salam highlighted the urgent need to focus on “the complete implementation of Resolution 1701 and the terms of the ceasefire agreement, reinforcing the state’s authority across all its territories, and ensuring the withdrawal of the Israeli army from every part of Lebanon.”
The French Foreign Ministry congratulated Salam on his appointment, wishing him “every success in carrying out his mission, at this historic time for Lebanon. France very much hopes that a strong government, capable of bringing Lebanon together in all its diversity, may be formed as soon as possible to carry out the reforms essential for the recovery of Lebanon and its state, to allow the return of prosperity for the Lebanese people and the restoration of Lebanon’s security and sovereignty throughout its territory.
“The Lebanese premier will be able to count on France’s full support in its missions, to the benefit of all Lebanese people,” the ministry added.
Lebanon’s grand mufti, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, said that “facilitating the task of the designated prime minister to form a comprehensive national government composed of experts and qualified individuals is a national duty.”
After his meeting with Sheikh Derian, Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Al-Bukhari said: “The Kingdom will always stand by Lebanon and its people.”
He expressed his “satisfaction with the completion of the presidential elections and parliamentary consultations, which promote unity among the Lebanese people and steer Lebanon toward a renaissance both economically and developmentally, in order to pave the way for the reform process and restore the trust of the Arab and international communities.”
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes resumed their incursions into Lebanese airspace, particularly over Beirut and the southern suburbs.
On Tuesday, the Lebanese army raided the Sadiq compound in Al-Aamroussieh after receiving reports of weapons and ammunition stored underground. But after searching the area — previously targeted by Israel — the army found no weapons or ammunition.
Jordan’s king checks largest aid convoy to Gaza Strip
- Shipment will be the 140th aid convoy sent by Amman since Israel’s war on Gaze began in late 2023
- King Abdullah commended the JHCO’ humanitarian work over the past 35 years
LONDON: King Abdullah of Jordan visited the Jordanian Hashemite Charitable Organization on Tuesday to check on the largest aid convoy that Amman is preparing to send to the Gaza Strip.
King Abdullah visited the organization’s warehouse in Zarqa City, northeast of Amman, where staff were assembling 120 trucks of food, relief, and medical aid for Gaza.
This shipment will be the 140th aid convoy sent by Amman since late 2023 when Israel launched its onslaught on Gaza.
The JHCO has delivered 73,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid and relief to Gaza, worth $212 million, benefiting at least 1.4 million Palestinians in the enclave since the start of the war, the Petra news agency reported.
King Abdullah commended the JHCO’s humanitarian work in various countries hit by war or natural disasters in the past 35 years.
Prince Rashid bin Al-Hassan, the JHCO chairman, was handed a Silver Jubilee Medal by King Abdullah to recognize the organization’s humanitarian contributions.
