NABLUS, Palestinian Territories: An Israeli air strike on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Thursday killed two Palestinians, including a former prisoner released in November, Palestinian sources and the army said.
It was the second such fatality within three days involving a former Palestinian inmate freed during a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
“Two men, aged 18 and 20, were killed and seven people were wounded, one of them seriously, in Balata” refugee camp in Nablus, the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement.
Wael Misha, 18, was one of 240 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails in November in exchange for 105 hostages held in Gaza, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club watchdog said.
The exchange took place during the week-long November ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which have been at war in the Palestinian territory since October 7.
The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, said a woman and a child were among those wounded in Balata on Thursday, describing the incident as a “drone strike.”
The Israeli military said two armed militants were killed in a strike.
“An Israeli air force aircraft attacked and eliminated two armed militants who posed a threat to the forces operating in the area” of Nablus, the military said in a statement.
It said the strike came as the army and police were securing access for worshippers to Joseph’s tomb in Nablus during the night.
Jews believe the tomb is the burial site of the biblical patriarch Joseph, while Muslims consider it the burial place of a Muslim religious figure.
Earlier this week, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said Israeli forces killed another Palestinian who had been released during the November ceasefire.
Tariq Ziad Abdul Rahim Daoud, 18, was shot dead in the town of Azzun, east of Qalqilya, the military said, after he allegedly fired at an Israeli citizen.
Violence in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967 and separate geographically from the Gaza Strip by Israeli territory, has surged since the start of the Gaza war on October 7.
At least 632 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by the Israeli army or settlers, according to an AFP count based on official Palestinian data.
During the same period, at least 18 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in the West Bank in Palestinian attacks, according to official Israeli data.
Israel strike in West Bank kills freed Palestinian prisoner
https://arab.news/jufmb
Israel strike in West Bank kills freed Palestinian prisoner
- Second such fatality within three days involving a former Palestinian inmate freed during a ceasefire in the Gaza war
- Wael Misha was one of 240 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails in November in exchange for 105 hostages held in Gaza
UN envoy repeats call for prioritization of efforts to end war in Yemen
- Hans Grundberg urges all parties ‘to put Yemen first’ and work toward settlement of the conflict
- Houthis have attacked more than 80 merchant ships since the war in Gaza began, seizing 1 vessel, sinking 2 and killing 4 sailors
LONDON: The UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Thursday repeated his call for all involved in the war in Yemen to put the country first and prioritize efforts to resolve the conflict.
Addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, he said the war in Gaza was having “destabilizing effects across the broader region,” including a negative effect on Yemen.
“Ansar Allah (the more formal name for the Houthis) has continued attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, threatening regional stability and international maritime security,” he told council members. “In response, the United States and the United Kingdom have continued to strike military targets inside of Yemen.
“I reiterate my concern over this escalatory trajectory and repeat my call for the parties to put Yemen first and to prioritize a settlement of the conflict.”
The Houthis have attacked more than 80 merchant ships with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza began in October last year. They have seized one vessel and sunk two during their campaign, which has claimed the lives of four sailors. Many more missiles and drones were intercepted by the US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.
The militia continues to insist it is targeting ships with links to Israel, the US or the UK, in an attempt to force an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza. However, many of the targeted ships had little or no connection to Israel or the conflict, including some that were bound for Iran.
Grundberg called for an “immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, and a massive scale-up of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
He said the Houthi attack on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion on Aug. 21 was a “development of particular concern” and “raises the imminent threat of a catastrophic oil spill and environmental disaster of unprecedented scale.”
Following the attack, fires burned for weeks on the vessel, which is carrying about 1 million barrels of crude oil. Salvage efforts are continuing but proving difficult.
“An oil spill on this scale would have dire consequences for both Yemen and the broader region … I strongly urge Ansar Allah to end their dangerous targeting of civilian vessels in the Red Sea and beyond,” Grundberg said.
He also demanded that the Houthis release all of the Yemenis they have detained who were engaged in critical efforts related to humanitarian assistance, development efforts, human rights, peace building, and education.
“This includes United Nations personnel, members of civil society, staff of diplomatic missions, private-sector employees, and individuals from minority religious communities,” Grundberg said.
“The continued detention of these individuals is a profound injustice to those who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of Yemen. These detentions are shrinking civic space and negatively impacting humanitarian efforts critical to Yemenis.”
Joyce Msuya, the acting under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and acting emergency relief coordinator at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, echoed this demand.
“I want to start by expressing our deep concern about the continued arbitrary detention of United Nations personnel, non-governmental organization staff and civil society representatives, among others, by the Houthi de facto authorities.
“These colleagues have now been detained for more than three months. Four additional colleagues remain in detention since 2021 and 2023. I reiterate, in the strongest terms, the secretary-general’s demand for their immediate and unconditional release.
“Additionally, we strongly reject false allegations by the Houthi de facto authorities against humanitarians, including recent claims of interference in Yemen’s education system. These allegations threaten the safety of staff, further hinder the ability of the UN and its partners to serve the Yemeni people, and must cease immediately.”
She told council members the steady deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen continues.
“62 per cent of surveyed households report they do not have enough food to eat,” Msuya said. “This is historically high. For the first time on record, three districts — two in Hodeidah and one in Taiz — are facing extremely critical levels of malnutrition: IPC Phase 5. One more district is projected to reach this level by October.”
IPC is the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, and level 5 denotes famine in an area and catastrophe for households there because they do not have enough food to meet basic needs.
“By the end of 2024, more than 600,000 children in Government of Yemen-controlled areas are estimated to be acutely malnourished, and around 118,000 are projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, a 34 per cent increase since 2023,” Msuya added.
Slovenia’s representative to the council, Samuel Zbogar, who is the president of the council this month, welcomed the World Food Programme’s ongoing emergency distribution of aid in Yemen.
“We are also following with concern the devastating impact of recent flooding, which has affected hundreds of thousands of Yemenis, aggravated the displacement crisis and exacerbated the outbreak of diseases,” he added.
Car blast kills four in Israel city: medics, police
- The Israeli police said it had launched an investigation into the cause of the explosion
- It was suspected to be linked to “a criminal conflict between crime families in the Arab neighborhood“
RAMLA, Israel: Four people were killed and eight injured when a vehicle exploded in the central Israeli city of Ramla on Thursday in an apparent gangland hit, medics and police said.
Liad Aviel, spokesman for the Asaf Harofe Medical Center in central Israel, said it “mourns the deaths of four individuals injured in the Ramla incident,” adding that six other casualties were receiving treatment there.
The Israeli police said it had launched an investigation into the cause of the explosion which was suspected to be linked to “a criminal conflict between crime families in the Arab neighborhood.”
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the site of the explosion and said police would “continue to fight this crime with all the tools at its disposal.”
“But I warn: crime in the Arab community requires more extensive tools and broader powers.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Ben-Gvir’s visit to the scene.
“There have been incompetent ministers before him, but he’s the first to turn failure into a profession,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Israel’s emergency medical service Magen David Adom said the vehicle “exploded while parked on the sidewalk near a store and residential building” in Ramla.
“As a result of the explosion, several passersby were injured by the blast and shrapnel,” rescue worker Benny Cohen said in a statement.
“The burning car was parked next to the store entrance, which prevented people inside the store from getting out.
“We moved the injured we were treating away from the fire scene... The rescued victims were unconscious, and our teams began advanced resuscitation efforts and transported them to hospitals in critical condition.”
Liat Cohen, another paramedic at the scene, said the unconscious victims included a month-old infant and a 50-year-old woman.
All suffered from smoke inhalation and were transported to hospital, he said.
“They tell us it’s a settlement of personal scores, but an explosion downtown in midday in a crowded area, that’s crazy,” Judith Touati, a Ramla resident and mother of seven, told AFP.
“My children were there just an hour before.”
Located east of Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv, Ramla is a mixed city, home to both Jews and Arabs.
Arab communities in Israel have long complained of violence connected to organized crime.
Organizations such as the Mossawa Center, a nonprofit representing Arabs in Israel, argue such violence should receive more attention from the government.
Arab leaders join UN chief in call for global action
- Organization’s upcoming ‘Summit of the Future’ aims to revive support for multilateralism
- Event will take place during 79th General Assembly in New York this month
LONDON: Arab leaders have joined the head of the UN in calling for global action on security, poverty, development and climate change.
Their appeals came ahead of the UN’s Summit of the Future, which will take place on Sept. 22 and 23, during the organization’s 79th General Assembly in New York.
Billed as an attempt to revive trust in multilateralism and bolster support for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the event will result in a “Pact for the Future,” negotiated and agreed upon by member states. It will also produce a “Global Digital Compact” and a “Declaration on Future Generations.”
The UN said: “The world is not on track to meet the goals we have already set for ourselves. Nor are we effectively rising to new challenges or opportunities.
“Multilateral governance, designed in simpler, slower times, is not adequate to today’s complex, interconnected, rapidly changing world. The summit is an opportunity to put ourselves on a better path.”
The pact agreed during the summit will cover key aspects of the UN’s remit, including sustainable development, international security, science and innovation, and youth issues.
The organization hosted a “Global Call” on Thursday to promote the summit and outline its aims for the summit, at which Antonio Guterres, the UN’s secretary-general, was backed by Arab leaders including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and newly reelected Algerian leader Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who delivered their messages of support in video statements.
Other leaders from Muslim-majority countries who took part in the appeal included Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Global Call was hosted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba.
Guterres said: “Member states are now in the final stages of negotiating the three agreements to be adopted at the Summit of the Future: the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations.
“My appeal is for you to push hard for the deepest reforms and most meaningful actions possible. We need maximum ambition during these final days of negotiation.”
He listed major global challenges he said are “moving much faster than our ability to solve them” and added: “Ferocious conflicts are inflicting terrible suffering. Deep geopolitical divides are creating dangerous tensions, multiplied by nuclear threats.
“Inequality and injustice corrode trust and fuel populism and extremism. Discrimination, misogyny and racism are taking on new forms.
“Poverty and hunger are at crisis levels as the Sustainable Development Goals are slipping out of reach. And we have no effective global response to new, and even existential, threats.”
Addressing recurring criticism of his organization’s relevance and influence in the modern world, the UN chief described the Security Council as being “stuck in a time warp.”
Highlighting the challenges facing the international financial system, he said: “Our institutions cannot keep up because they were designed for another era and another world.”
However, the UN is still in a unique position to address global issues by offering a platform for change through the summit, Guterres added.
He listed a series of requirements for the revival of multilateralism, including conflict prevention and mediation, financial reforms, increased lending capacity among development banks, and management of the risks posed by new technologies.
“As we reach the end of negotiations on the three texts, I appeal to all governments to make sure they are as ambitious as possible, to restore the hope and trust we need in order to address the dramatic challenges of our time,” he said.
“The Summit of the Future is an opportunity for far-reaching agreements on international collaboration for a safer, more sustainable and more equitable world. Let’s seize it.”
The appeal by Guterres was echoed by Tebboune, the Algerian president, who warned that the world is “going though a very sensitive, critical juncture.”
Egyptian leader El-Sisi highlighted the current tensions in the Middle East as he called for the summit to address three main priorities.
Member states must establish a system “based on the principles and rules of international law,” “reform the structure of the global financial system” and “enhance efforts toward the eradication of poverty and hunger,” he said.
Sharif, the Pakistani prime minister, drew attention to the “plight of the people in Gaza.”
He said: “Today, in times of unprecedented global challenges and escalating conflicts, we are at risk of permanently damaging the notion of ‘we.’ A collective ‘we’ requires a degree of equality and justice.
“The plight of the people of Gaza is a mockery of this ‘we.’ This ‘we’ becomes marred amid rising debt burdens for the poor, increasing poverty, growing inequality, intolerance, terrorist violence, illegal foreign occupation and a skewed approach to climate adaptation.”
Erdogan, who recently called on the leaders of Muslim-majority countries to gather for a summit on Gaza, described the UN event as a “rare window of opportunity.”
He added: “It is only a matter of days until the Summit of the Future, which aims to fortify international solidarity in the face of threats to the future of humanity, and facilitate the establishment of a peaceful, secure and equitable system.
“In the midst of the conflicts, oppression, hunger and poverty that are ravaging our world, I perceive the summit as a rare window of opportunity.”
Arab League chief briefed on conditions faced by refugees in Gaza
- Head of UNRWA holds discussions with Ahmed Aboul Gheit on challenges agency faces
- Philippe Lazzarini provided an in-depth account of the dire conditions faced by Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip
CAIRO: Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, during a meeting in Cairo identified significant challenges confronting the agency.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit received Lazzarini at the General Secretariat headquarters on Thursday.
During the meeting, Lazzarini mentioned the challenges confronting the agency on the financial and logistical fronts, exacerbated by the persistent targeting of its headquarters and personnel by the Israeli military, along with increasing efforts to disrupt the agency’s operations.
Lazzarini provided an in-depth account of the dire conditions faced by Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip amid the bloody Israeli aggression, as well as in the West Bank, where Israeli attacks have escalated.
Gamal Roshdy, spokesperson for the secretary-general, said that Aboul Gheit reiterated the Arab League’s support for UNRWA’s vital mission and its efforts to assist Palestinian refugees throughout its five areas of operation.
He emphasized the need for donor countries to fulfill their financial commitments and contributions to the agency’s budget, particularly given the precarious situation currently faced by the Palestinian people.
In February 2024, the Arab League chief said the decision by some countries to suspend the funding they provide for UNRWA was wrong from both a humanitarian and security standpoint and a morally flawed position to take.
At that time, he warned that ending the agency’s role would endanger the entire region and said it would be a dangerous move that suits the long-held ambitions of the Israeli right wing to dismantle UNRWA and persuade the international community to step back from its responsibility to help address the issue of Palestinian refugees.
The Palestinian economy is in free fall and will require billions to rebuild, the UN says
- The report from UN Trade and Development, or UNCTAD, also warned of “rapid and alarming economic decline” in the West Bank, citing expanded Israeli settlements
- The report made no mention of corruption in Palestinian institutions
GENEVA: The Palestinian economy is “in free fall,” the United Nations reported Thursday, with production in Gaza plunging to one-sixth of its level before Israeli forces began a blistering military response to the Oct. 7 attacks in the territory.
The report from UN Trade and Development, or UNCTAD, also warned of “rapid and alarming economic decline” in the West Bank, citing expanded Israeli settlements, land confiscations, demolition of Palestinian buildings and violence by settlers.
The report made no mention of corruption in Palestinian institutions.
“The Palestinian economy is in free fall,” Pedro Manuel Moreno, the agency’s deputy secretary-general, told reporters in Geneva. “The report calls for the international community to halt this economic free fall, address the humanitarian crisis, and lay the groundwork for lasting peace and development.”
That would include a “comprehensive recovery plan” for Palestinian areas, more international aid, the lifting of Israel’s blockade on Gaza, and the release of revenues and withheld funds for Palestinians retained by Israel, he said.
Gaza’s economy was weak even before the war, when unemployment was close to 50 percent, but the war has brought it to a near-standstill, with the UN estimating that roughly 90 percent of the territory’s population has been displaced, many living in squalid tent camps and dependent on international aid.
The war has also hurt the West Bank. After the Oct. 7 attacks, Israel immediately revoked work permits that allowed some 150,000 Palestinians to work inside Israel, depriving them of a key source of income.
A military crackdown that Israel says is aimed at militants has also rippled through the economy, with frequent army raids and military checkpoints making it difficult for people to work or move around.
With violence continuing, there’s little sign of any recovery plan being launched anytime soon.
Mutasim Elagraa, who coordinates UNCTAD’s assistance to Palestinians, said: “If we want to return Gaza to pre-October 2023, we need tens of billions of dollars, or even more, and decades.”
The ultimate goal is “to put Gaza on a path of sustainable development,” which will take more time and money, he said.
Economic output in Gaza plunged to just over $221 million in the half-year including the last quarter of 2023 and first quarter of 2024 — the last quarter for which figures are available — or about 16 percent of the total figure for the same half-year period in 2022 and 2023, when the total was just over $1.34 billion, the agency said.
Meanwhile, more than 300,000 jobs in the West Bank — home to some 3 million Palestinians — have been lost, driving unemployment rates up to 32 percent, up from under 13 percent before the conflict, the agency reported.
By early this year, as much as 96 percent of Gaza’s farming assets, including livestock farms, orchards, machinery and storage facilities, had been “decimated,” UNCTAD said.
Over 80 percent of businesses were damaged or destroyed, and the damage has continued to worsen, it said.
Since the 1990s, Israel has collected import duties for Palestinians — leaving about two-thirds of all Palestinian tax revenue under the control of the Israeli government. Israel has repeatedly withheld or suspended the payments, accusing the Palestinian Authority of encouraging violence or taking hostile steps against Israel in the UN and other international bodies.
From 2019 through April this year, Israel had withheld or deducted a total of more than $1.4 billion, crimping the ability of Palestinian officials to provide public services and pay salaries, pensions and debts, it said. The European Union last month said it paid some $43 million to help the Palestinian Authority pay salaries and pensions in the West Bank.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed at least 41,084 Palestinians and wounded another 95,029, the territory’s Health Ministry said. The ministry’s count does not differentiate between civilians and militants.
Israel launched its campaign vowing to destroy the Palestinian group Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel in which militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 250 others.
