KHAN YUNIS: “It smells like death,” said Maha Thaer, a mother of four, as she returned to the devastated southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Sunday, after Israeli troops withdrew.
“We don’t have a city anymore — only rubble. There is absolutely nothing left. I could not stop myself crying as I walked through the streets,” the 38-year-old told AFP.
“All the streets have been bulldozed. And the smell... I watched people digging and bringing out the bodies,” said Thaer, whose home was partially destroyed.
Soon after the Israeli army said its troops were pulling out, people began to emerge into the devastated landscape — the residents of Khan Yunis returning to find what remained of their homes.
Nearly 400,000 people lived in Khan Yunis and its environs before October 7. Much of the area is now in ruins after months of bombardment and heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants.
A straggle of men and boys riding donkey carts, bicycles and the odd pickup truck headed north out of Rafah in the far south of the Gaza Strip, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians had taken refuge from the relentless Israeli ground invasion and bombardment.
They passed the burned-out shell of the Al-Salam hospital, with almost all of the buildings around it razed to the ground.
Thaer, from the upmarket Hamad City district in the west of Khan Yunis, said she was “very shocked and sad.”
“There were no walls or windows. Most of the towers were completely blown up,” she said.
Thaer said she would move back into her badly damaged apartment, “even though it is not suitable for living, but it is better than tents.”
Her neighbors suffered a greater misfortune. “They found their homes destroyed and they don’t know where they will go,” she said.
Other Gazans carried a mattress on their heads in the hope they would still have four walls to put it in.
One of those who left Rafah on Sunday climbed on the top of a heap of rubble in Khan Yunis which once had been a home.
With everything around him in ruins, AFP photographs showed the man standing among smashed concrete and corrugated iron roofing.
Not a single structure within sight appeared untouched by the war.
Other images showed large swathes of the city flattened.
The Israeli army told AFP that it had pulled its 98th division of ground troops out of the southern city on Sunday to “recuperate,” with one official telling the Israeli media it had killed thousands of Hamas fighters there.
“There’s no need for us to remain... We did everything we could there,” an army official told Haaretz newspaper.
The Gaza war broke out on October 7 with an attack by Hamas militants that resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, Israeli figures show.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,175 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
‘It smells like death’: Gazans return to devastated Khan Yunis
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‘It smells like death’: Gazans return to devastated Khan Yunis
- “We don’t have a city anymore — only rubble," Palestinian mother says
Ukrainian in Israel to treat sick daughter killed in Iran strike: mayor
- The city of Bat Yam identified the victim as Maria Peshkarova, 31
- Peshkarova had traveled to Israel in 2022 on a medical visa to seek life-saving treatment for her daughter, 8
JERUSALEM: The body of a Ukrainian mother who had traveled to Israel for her daughter’s leukemia treatment was recovered on Thursday from a building struck by an Iranian missile four days earlier, Israeli officials said.
The city of Bat Yam, close to Tel Aviv, announced that “in the past few minutes, a body was found at the site of the missile impact,” identifying the victim as Maria Peshkarova, 31, also known as Marina.
Peshkarova had traveled to Israel in December 2022 on a medical visa to seek life-saving treatment for her daughter Anastasia, 8, who was killed along with her grandmother in the destroyed apartment bloc in Bat Yam, according to the mayor’s office.
Peshkarova’s husband is fighting in Ukraine’s war against Russia, according to the Israeli news website Ynet.
Israeli authorities had previously released the names of eight people killed in the strike and had stated that one person was missing.
Peshkarova’s confirmed death takes the total deathtoll in Israel to 25 since the war with Iran started on Friday, according to authorities.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Sunday that five of its nationals were killed in the Iranian strike on Bat Yam near Tel Aviv, including three minors.
Ukraine on Tuesday urged its citizens to leave Israel and Iran as soon as possible amid the spiralling conflict between the two countries.
Pakistan reports 99% drop in polio cases, urges more investment at Gavi board meeting
- Pakistan has reported 10 polio cases so far in 2025, compared to 74 in 2024
- Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio is still endemic
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has recorded a 99% decline in polio cases, Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal told the Gavi board meeting on Thursday, calling for more investments to "train and retain" vaccinators.
The global vaccine organization Gavi helps low-income countries buy vaccines to protect against killer diseases. Around one billion children have been immunized as a result of Gavi’s work across the world since 2000.
Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure, making prevention through vaccination critical. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with the completion of the routine immunization schedule for all children, are essential to build strong immunity against the virus.
According to Pakistan’s polio program, 10 cases have been confirmed so far this year, with 74 reported in 2024.
Environmental surveillance carried out earlier this year has detected the virus in 272 sewage samples collected from 127 testing sites across 68 districts, indicating ongoing transmission.
"Pakistan has witnessed over a 99% decline in polio cases — a testament to our coordinated strategy, dedication of frontline workers and the collective efforts of all stakeholders," the health ministry quoted Kamal as saying following a virtual joint session of Gavi and Pakistan's Polio Oversight Board.
However, the statement did not specify the starting point for this decline.
"Strengthening the integrated immunization system requires continued support from both Gavi and the Polio Oversight Board,” he added. “We need additional investments to ensure the training and retention of vaccinators."
He called for implementing a joint strategy to reach zero-dose children and mobilizing biker teams to access far-flung areas.
The health minister said "coordinated microplanning and effective monitoring" between polio and the Expanded Program on Immunization was improving immunization coverage and delivering results.
Kamal said polio eradication remained the government's top priority, highlighting how Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally oversees the eradication efforts.
Pakistan, one of the last two countries where polio remains endemic, has made significant progress in curbing the virus, with annual cases dropping from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to just eight in 2018.
The country reported six cases in 2023 and only one in 2021.
Pakistan launched its polio eradication program in 1994, but efforts have repeatedly been hindered by widespread vaccine misinformation and resistance from hardline religious groups who claim immunization campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children or a front for espionage.
Militant groups have also targeted polio workers and their security escorts, often with deadly attacks that have hampered vaccination drives, particularly in the country’s remote and conflict-prone regions.
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the poliovirus remains endemic.
Palmeiras ease past Al Ahly in Club World Cup
- The match was suspended in the 63rd minute because of a weather warning
- Victory took Palmeiras provisionally top on four points
EAST RUTHERFORD, USA: Palmeiras drew first blood in Club World Cup Group A with a 2-0 victory over Al Ahly on Thursday in New Jersey.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami face Porto later on in the group’s other clash after two goalless draws in the first round of fixtures.
The match was suspended in the 63rd minute because of a weather warning, with players and fans at the MetLife Stadium instructed to “take shelter” because of a nearby storm.
Palmeiras were leading by two goals at the time, with a Wessam Abou Ali own goal sending the Brazilians ahead in the 49th minute before Flaco Lopez doubled their lead on the Egyptians 10 minutes later.
Victory took Palmeiras provisionally top on four points, with the other three sides level on one point each.
It was the third match at the tournament affected by adverse weather at the tournament.
On Tuesday Mamelodi Sundowns game against Ulsan HD was suspended just before kick-off for just over an hour due to a weather alert.
Then on Wednesday RB Salzburg’ s match against Pachuca was suspended in the second half for 97 minutes because of a storm.
Palmeiras, led by talented youngster Estevao Willian, who is set to join Chelsea, played well but were held by Porto in their opening clash.
Al Ahly kept them at bay in a tight first half, in which English referee Anthony Taylor sent off Palmeiras midfielder Raphael Veiga for a foul on Ahmed Zizo, before overturning his decision following a VAR review.
Palestinian striker Abou Ali headed Anibal Moreno’s free-kick into his own net to hand Palmeiras the lead.
Lopez finished coolly for the Brazilians’ second after Mauricio played him through on goal.
After the suspension of around 45 minutes for the weather warning, Palmeiras played out the remainder of the match comfortably without risking their advantage.
South American sides have come into the tournament strongly, in good condition given they are in the middle of their domestic seasons, and have stayed unbeaten to this point.
Pakistan’s deputy PM to attend OIC meeting in Istanbul, call for Israel-Iran ceasefire
- OIC meets this weekend amid Pakistan-India tensions and Israel-Iran escalation
- Ishaq Dar will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts on conference sidelines
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will attend a meeting of foreign ministers from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul this weekend and call for an immediate Israel-Iran ceasefire to help restore peace in the Middle East, the foreign office said on Thursday.
The 51st session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers is expected to focus on coordinated efforts to de-escalate tensions between the two regional rivals, along with the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The meeting comes at a time of heightened volatility for the bloc, following Pakistan’s brief but intense military standoff with India last month and Iran’s escalating confrontation with Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
"During the plenary session, the DPM/FM will share Pakistan’s perspective on the developments in South Asia following the ceasefire arrangement between Pakistan and India and the situation in the Middle East after Israel’s recent aggression against Iran and other regional states," the foreign office spokesperson, Shafqat Ali Khan, said in a statement.
He added that Dar would advocate for peace in the Middle East and highlight the need for humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza during the meeting on June 21 and 22.
Beyond the Middle East, Dar is also expected to address broader issues of concern to the Muslim world, urging the international community to "combat the escalating tide of Islamophobia" by addressing rising extremism and militancy, as well as the growing threat of climate change.
He will also reaffirm Pakistan's commitment to the principles and objectives of the OIC in addressing challenges faced by Muslim nations globally.
Dar, who also holds the portfolio of foreign minister, is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other OIC member states on the sidelines of the conference.
According to the foreign office, he will participate in an award ceremony honoring Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with the “OIC Youth Forum Grand Youth Award.”
The high-level meeting is taking place amid media reports that the United States is weighing options, including potentially joining Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran launched retaliatory missile attacks last week after Israeli forces bombed sites linked to its nuclear and military infrastructure on June 13.
Tehran says more than 224 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the strikes. Israel has also reported over two dozen civilian deaths.
Israel restarts limited gas exports amid ongoing conflict, Egypt still waiting
- A ministry spokesperson said exports are now resuming “from surpluses, after domestic needs are met“
- An energy ministry source said most of the limited exported gas is currently flowing to Jordan
CAIRO: Israel has resumed limited natural gas exports from surplus supplies, the country’s Energy Ministry said on Thursday, nearly a week after shutting down two key offshore fields as Israel and Iran waged an air battle.
A ministry spokesperson told Reuters that exports are now resuming “from surpluses, after domestic needs are met.”
An energy ministry source said most of the limited exported gas is currently flowing to Jordan, and only “tiny volumes” reached Egypt this week.
Egyptian fertilizer producers, who were forced to halt operations due to the supply disruption, told Reuters they have yet to receive any gas but expect flows to resume next week.
The Egyptian Petroleum Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Following military escalation in the region, Israel halted exports on June 13 after closing the Leviathan field, operated by Chevron and the Karish field operated by Energean. Only the Tamar field has remained operational, supplying mainly domestic demand.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said on Wednesday that exports would only resume once military authorities deemed it safe.
“I don’t want to use our strategic storage, so therefore, I needed to cut exports,” he told Reuters.
Egypt, which has increasingly relied on Israeli gas since a domestic production decline in 2022, is scrambling to compensate for the supply gap.
The country has ramped up fuel oil use in power plants and has signed deals to import over $8 billion worth of liquefied natural gas, while preparing additional floating regasification units.
Israeli gas typically accounts for up to 60 percent of Egypt’s total gas imports and around a fifth of its total consumption, according to data from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI).
