CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Israeli airstrikes across Gaza killed at least 50 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, Palestinian health authorities said on Wednesday, as the military said troops continued to target militants and seize weapons and ammunition.
As last-ditch diplomatic efforts continued to halt the 10-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli military said jets hit around 30 targets throughout the Gaza Strip including tunnels, launch sites and an observation post.
It said troops killed dozens of armed fighters and captured weapons including explosives, grenades and automatic rifles.
The military issued new evacuation orders in the heavily overcrowded area of Deir Al-Balah, in central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the fighting have sought shelter.
The evacuation orders, which the military said were needed to clear civilians from what had become “a dangerous combat zone,” were soon followed by tank fire with at least one person killed and several wounded by machine gun fire, medics and residents said.
The conflict churned on as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his latest visit to the Middle East with no clear sign over whether a deal to end the fighting is in sight.
At stake in the talks Blinken had with leaders of ceasefire mediators, Egypt and Qatar, as well as in Israel, is the fate of tiny, crowded Gaza, where Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 40,000 people since October according to Palestinian health authorities, and of the remaining hostages being held there.
The war in Gaza began on Oct. 7 last year when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities and military bases, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
For the displaced left exposed in Deir Al-Balah, the lack of progress toward a ceasefire compounded the misery as they searched for space away from the fighting.
“Where will we go? Where will we go?” said Aburakan, 55, a displaced person from Gaza City in the territory’s north who has had to change refuge five times since October.
“We feel they are closing in. I live a few hundred meters from the threatened areas, and I have been searching since the early morning in vain for a space in western Deir Al-Balah, Khan Younis, or Nuseirat,” he told Reuters via a chat app.
“Unfortunately, we may die before we see an end to this war. All ceasefire talk is a lie.”
Palestinian and United Nations officials say most of the 2.3 million population have become internally displaced by Israel’s ongoing military offensive and bombardment that have also flattened swathes of built-up areas across the enclave.
Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza after Blinken ends visit with truce deal still elusive
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Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza after Blinken ends visit with truce deal still elusive
- Israeli military issued new evacuation orders in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by fighting have sought shelter
EU top diplomat urges Lebanon and Israel to ease tensions along their border
Borrell said that according to the United Nations more than 4,000 residential buildings have been completely destroyed in Lebanon
BEIRUT: The European Union’s top diplomat on Thursday urged Lebanon and Israel to work on deescalating tensions along the border, saying that since his last trip to the region in January “the drums of war have not stopped pounding.”
The comments of Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, came as members of the militant Hezbollah group and Israel’s military carried out cross border attacks along the tense frontier on Thursday.
Western and Arab officials have visited Beirut over the past year to try to reduce tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border, but Hezbollah officials have said they will only stop carrying out attacks along the border when Israel stops its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
“Since I lasted visited Lebanon in January the drums of war have not stopped pounding,” Borrell told reporters in Beirut during a joint press conference with Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib. “Since then the fears I was outlining have been growing, more escalation, fears of a spillover of the war in Gaza and fears of more widespread human suffering.”
In late August, Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah pulled back after an exchange of heavy fire that briefly raised fears of an all-out war.
Borrell said that according to the United Nations more than 4,000 residential buildings have been completely destroyed in Lebanon and more than 110,000 Lebanese have been forced to leave their homes along the border. He said the same thing is happening on the Israeli side of the border.
The European official said that his message is that the European Union “stands on the side of the Lebanese people to help to overcome the threats and challenges as much as we can.”
More than 500 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli strikes since Oct. 8, most of them fighters with Hezbollah and other armed groups but also more than 100 civilians. In northern Israel, 23 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed by strikes from Lebanon.
“We need to deescalate military tensions and I use this opportunity to urge all sides to pursue this path,” said Borrell, who on Tuesday visited UN peacekeepers deployed in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel.
He added that the “full and asymmetrical implementation” of the UN Security Council resolution that ended the summer 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war should pave the way for a comprehensive settlement including land border demarcation and allowing the return of people and reconstruction in the affected border areas.
“The European Union is doing a lot but we don’t have a magic wand,” he said.
UNESCO warns of possible looting from Sudan museums
- “UNESCO is deeply concerned about the recent reports of possible looting and damage of several museums and heritage institutions in Sudan,” it said
- It said it had been monitoring the impact of fighting on Sudan’s heritage, cultural institutions and artists since hostilities broke out in 2023
PARIS: The UN cultural agency on Thursday raised the alarm over reports of armed groups looting several museums and heritage institutions in war-wracked Sudan.
“UNESCO is deeply concerned about the recent reports of possible looting and damage of several museums and heritage institutions in Sudan, including the National Museum, by armed groups,” it said.
It said it had been monitoring the impact of fighting on Sudan’s heritage, cultural institutions and artists since hostilities broke out in 2023.
“In recent weeks, this threat to culture appears to have reached an unprecedented level, with reports of looting of museums, heritage and archaeological sites and private collections.”
It said it was particularly concerned by reports of looting at the National Museum of Sudan, as well as the Khalifa House Museum in Omdurman and Nyala Museum in South Darfur.
The National Museum, which opened in the 1970s, has been home to more than 2,700 objects including some important pieces from the ancient Egyptian Pharaonic dynasties and Nubian culture.
“UNESCO reiterates its call upon the public and the art market involved in the trade of cultural property in the region and worldwide to refrain from acquiring or taking part in the import, export or transfer of ownership of cultural property from Sudan,” it said.
The agency said it was planning training in Cairo for members of law enforcement and the judiciary of Sudan’s neighboring countries by the end of the year.
War has raged since April 2023 between the army, under the country’s de facto ruler Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which are commanded by Burhan’s former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Since the start of fighting, UNESCO says it has supported emergency measures in five other Sudanese archaeological museums, including packing “endangered collections” and preparing “safe havens” for them.
WHO says ‘confident’ target for Gaza polio vaccination campaign met
- Disease has spread with Gaza lying in ruins and the majority of its 2.4 million residents forced to flee their homes
- WHO had initially said it aimed to vaccinate some 640,000 children, but that had likely been an overestimate of the target population
GENEVA: The World Health Organization said Thursday it was “confident” that a giant polio vaccination drive in Gaza had hit its target of reaching more than 90 percent of children under 10.
Disease has spread with Gaza lying in ruins and the majority of its 2.4 million residents forced to flee their homes due to Israel’s military assault — often taking refuge in cramped and unsanitary conditions.
After the first confirmed polio case in 25 years, a massive vaccination effort began last week targeting at least 90 percent of children under 10, aided by localized “humanitarian pauses” in fighting.
“We are confident that we probably reached the target,” Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative for the Palestinian territories, told reporters.
WHO had initially said it aimed to vaccinate some 640,000 children, but Peeperkorn said that had likely been an overestimate of the target population.
By Wednesday, he said, 552,451 children had been reached with a first dose of the vaccine, adding that WHO was still waiting for the numbers for the final day of the campaign on Thursday.
He said WHO was “satisfied” with the campaign, hailing the large numbers of parents who had turned out to ensure their children were protected against polio.
Poliovirus, most often spread through sewage and contaminated water, is highly infectious. It can cause deformities and paralysis, and is potentially fatal. It mainly affects children under the age of five.
A fresh campaign to provide a needed second dose is due to begin in about four weeks in Gaza, besieged for over 11 months.
The WHO has stressed that it is vital to reach at least 90 percent coverage to avoid the spread of the disease both within Gaza’s borders and beyond.
Peeperkorn said the WHO was “very much grateful that the area-specific humanitarian pauses have been respected” during the first phase of the campaign, which he said had been permitted to take place in “a polio bubble.”
He called for the respite afforded to be extended to “a much broader area,” allowing for the establishment of proper humanitarian corridors to ensure aid can reach those in need.
The October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Among the dead included in that count were hostages killed in captivity.
Israel’s retaliation has killed at least 41,118 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry. The UN rights office says most of the dead are women and children.
UAE ruler receives China’s Premier Li Qiang in Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI: UAE’s ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed received China’s Premier Li Qiang in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, reported state news agency WAM.
In a statement on X, Sheikh Mohamed said the two discussed joint efforts to enhance comprehensive strategic partnership between their countries.
“The UAE is committed to building upon 40 years of deep-rooted cooperation with China to achieve enduring growth, development, and prosperity for our people,” said Sheikh Mohamed.
I was pleased to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Abu Dhabi today to discuss joint efforts to further enhance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our countries. The UAE is committed to building upon 40 years of deep-rooted cooperation with China to achieve enduring… pic.twitter.com/4NTxISsjGU
— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) September 12, 2024
At least quarter of Gaza wounded have ‘life-changing injuries’: WHO
- Many injuries require amputations and other ‘huge’ rehabilitation needs
- ‘Many thousands of women and children’ figured among those badly injured
GENEVA: The World Health Organization said Thursday that at least a quarter of those hurt in the war raging in Gaza have suffered “life-changing injuries,” many requiring amputations and other “huge” rehabilitation needs.
At least 22,500 of the people injured in Gaza in the 11 months since the war erupted will “requires rehabilitation services now and for years to come,” the WHO said in a statement.
“The huge surge in rehabilitation needs occurs in parallel with the ongoing decimation of the health system,” Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative for the Palestinian territories, said in a statement.
According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 41,118 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory offensive following the October 7 attack by Hamas militants, while over 95,000 have been wounded.
The Hamas attack inside Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which also includes hostages killed in captivity.
Pointing to a fresh analysis of the types of injuries resulting from the conflict, the UN health agency said “many thousands of women and children” figured among those badly injured and that many had suffered more than one injury.
It estimated there had overall been between 13,455 and 17,550 “severe limb injuries,” which it said were the main driver of the need for rehabilitation.
The report showed that between 3,105 and 4,050 limb amputations had occurred.
Other life-altering injuries including spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and major burn injuries, it said.
At the same time, WHO said only 17 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are currently even partially functional, while primary health care services are frequently suspended or inaccessible due to insecurity, attacks and repeated evacuation orders.
Gaza’s only limb reconstruction and rehabilitation center, located in Nasser Medical Complex and supported by WHO ceased functioning last December due to lack of supplies and specialized health workers.
“Tragically, much of the rehabilitation workforce in Gaza is now displaced,” the statement said.
Peeperkorn said that “patients can’t get the care they need.”
“Acute rehabilitation services are severely disrupted and specialized care for complex injuries is not available, placing patients’ lives at risk,” he said.
“Immediate and long-term support is urgently needed to address the enormous rehabilitation needs.”
