GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories: Israel faced international condemnation Thursday after a strike killed 18 people at a school-turned-shelter for displaced Palestinians in war-torn Gaza, where the Israeli military said it targeted Hamas militants.
The attack flattened part of the UN-run Al-Jawni school in Nuseirat on Wednesday, leaving only a charred heap of rebar and concrete.
“For the fifth time, Israeli forces bombed the UNRWA-run Al-Jawni School, killing 18 citizens,” Gaza civil defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal wrote on Telegram, referring to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
UNRWA later said six of its staff had been killed in two Israeli strikes on the school and its surroundings, calling it the highest death toll among its team in a single incident.
“Among those killed was the manager of the UNRWA shelter and other team members providing assistance to displaced people,” it said on X. “Schools and other civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times, they are not a target.”
The Israeli military said it had conducted a “precise strike” on Hamas militants within the school grounds. It did not elaborate on the outcome, but said “numerous steps” were taken to reduce the risk to civilians.
UN chief Antonio Guterres branded the strike “totally unacceptable.”
His condemnation was echoed by Israeli ally Germany, which said “humanitarian aid workers must never be victims of rockets.”
Jordan and the European Union also criticized the attack, while Israel’s main backer the United States called on it to protect humanitarian sites.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was “outraged” by the deaths and that the strikes showed a “disregard of the basic principles” of international humanitarian law.
US Secretary of State Blinken said: “We need to see humanitarian sites protected, and that’s something that we continue to raise with Israel.”
Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said UNRWA had not provided the names of its killed workers, “despite repeated requests.”
He said a military inquiry found that “a significant number of the names (of the dead) that have appeared in the media and on social networks are Hamas terrorist operatives.”
In response, UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma said the agency was “not aware of any such requests,” that it provided Israel each year with a list of its staff and that it “called repeatedly” on Israel and Palestinian militants “to never use civilian facilities for military or fighting purposes.”
She said the agency was “not in a position to determine” if the school had been used by Hamas for military purposes, but UNRWA had “repeatedly called for independent investigations” into “these very serious claims.”
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said the school was “no longer a school” and had become “a legitimate target” as it was used by Hamas to launch attacks.
UNRWA, which coordinates nearly all aid into Gaza, has been in crisis since Israel accused a dozen of its 30,000 employees of being involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks that sparked the war.
The UN immediately fired the implicated staff members, and a probe found some “neutrality related issues” but stressed Israel had not provided evidence for its chief allegations.
Survivors of the strike scrambled to recover bodies and belongings from the rubble, saying they had to step over “shredded limbs.”
“I can hardly stand up,” a man holding a plastic bag of human remains told AFP.
“We’ve been going through hell for 340 days now, what we’ve seen over these days, we haven’t even seen it in Hollywood movies, now we’re seeing it in Gaza.”
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said after the school strike that at least 220 members of the agency’s staff had been killed in the war.
“Endless & senseless killing, day after day,” he posted on X.
“Humanitarian staff, premises & operations have been blatantly & unabatedly disregarded since the beginning of the war.”
Across Gaza, many school buildings have been repurposed to shelter displaced families, with the vast majority of the territory’s 2.4 million people repeatedly uprooted by the war.
In Gaza City, civil defense spokesman Bassal said two strikes in the Zeitun neighborhood killed seven people — including two children.
Later, he said two people were killed in the Jabalia camp. Medical sources said five people were killed in strikes on the Khan Yunis area.
The bloodshed shows no signs of abating despite months of ceasefire negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
A Hamas delegation met Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Doha on Wednesday, the Palestinian Islamists said, though there was no indication of a breakthrough.
The October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel 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.
Deadly Israeli strike on Gaza school draws global condemnation
https://arab.news/c9rwn
Deadly Israeli strike on Gaza school draws global condemnation
- UN chief Antonio Guterres branded the strike “totally unacceptable“
- EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was “outraged” by the deaths and that the strikes showed a “disregard of the basic principles” of international humanitarian law
Egypt affirms keenness on Lebanon’s security, preventing violation of its sovereignty, statement says
- Hezbollah calls it biggest security breach in war with Israel
- Iranian ambassador to Lebanon reportedly injured
CAIRO: Egypt affirmed its keenness on Lebanon’s security and stability and preventing the violation of its sovereignty from ‘any outside party’, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, shortly after deadly pager blasts in Lebanon that killed at least eight people.
Algeria’s president is being sworn in for a second term after lopsided election
- The figures showed Tebboune leading Cherif who had run with the Movement of Society for Peace by around 75 percentage points
ALGIERS, Algeria: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was sworn in on Tuesday for a second term after being elected in a landslide vote marred by apathy and questions around the vote count.
The ceremony to inaugurate Tebboune’s second five-year term took place at the People’s Palace, in Club-des-Pins, a seaside resort on the west coast of the capital, Algiers. Tebboune’s two challengers, Islamist Abdellali Hassan Cherif and Socialist Youcef Aouchiche attended the ceremony that came three days after Algeria’s constitutional court certified Tebboune’s landslide victory in the Sept. 7 elections.
The court announced on Saturday after a recounting of the vote that Tebboune and his two opponents had called into question.
The figures showed Tebboune leading Cherif who had run with the Movement of Society for Peace by around 75 percentage points. Cherif won nearly 950,000 votes, or roughly 9.6 percent. Aouchiche’s Socialist Forces Front won more than 580,000 votes, about 6.1 percent.
With 7.7 million votes, the incumbent won 84.3 percent of the vote, surpassing his 2019 win by millions of votes and a double-digit margin.
Cherif and Aouchiche were criticized for participating in an election that government critics denounced as a way for Algeria’s political elite to make a show of democracy amid broader political repression.
Throughout the campaign, each of the three candidates emphasized participation, calling on voters and youth to participate and defy calls to boycott the ballot.
The nationwide turnout was 46.1 percent, surpassing the 2019 presidential election when 39.9 percent of the electorate participated, according to the court’s figures.
How an EU-led operation to salvage a burning Red Sea oil tanker hopes to prevent a major environmental disaster
- Operation Aspides launched a critical salvage mission to prevent an oil spill that threatens to devastate the marine ecosystem
- The Greek-flagged oil tanker, MV Sounion, was attacked by Houthi militants, raising fears of a major ecological and economic disaster
DUBAI: An EU-led operation to salvage a stricken oil tanker, which has been burning in the Red Sea for almost a month after coming under attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia, reached an important milestone on Monday, potentially staving off one of the worst ecological disasters in history.
The Greek-flagged oil tanker MV Sounion was attacked by Houthi militants on Aug. 21 off the coast of Hodeidah. Carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude oil, the tanker was left severely damaged and at risk of spilling its cargo into one of the world’s most fragile marine ecosystems.
On Sept. 14, the salvage mission, led by the EU’s Operation Aspides, finally got underway after repeated delays. On Monday, it issued a statement via the social media platform X announcing the ship had been moved.
The Sounion “has been successfully towed to a safe area without any oil spill,” the EU mission said. “While private stakeholders complete the salvage operation, Aspides will continue to monitor the situation.”
Until the vessel has been safely docked and unloaded, however, the environmental and commercial threat posed by a major spill remains.
The initial attack on the Sounion involved missiles launched by Houthi militants, which struck the vessel as it navigated through one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Soon after, the militants returned and detonated explosive charges, setting parts of the ship ablaze.
The attack is part of a broader Houthi campaign to disrupt global shipping as a show of solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing war in Gaza. The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels in the Red Sea since October 2023, killing at least four sailors.
In response to the attacks, the US and UK have mounted strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. However, these strikes have failed to deter the militia’s attacks on shipping.
The Sounion attack presents a multifaceted crisis. The immediate concern is the possibility of a catastrophic oil spill, potentially four times worse than the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska, which spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil and devastated the local ecosystem.
The Red Sea’s marine life, including its renowned coral reefs, is especially vulnerable, and a spill could have lasting consequences, affecting species and habitats for many decades to come.
Julien Jreissati, Greenpeace’s Middle East and North Africa program director, warned that the Red Sea’s unique coral species, some of the most resilient to climate change, are under threat.
Should a spill occur, its “magnitude could be nearly impossible to contain, spreading contamination across vast areas of seawater and coastlines,” Jreissati said in a statement.
The long-term impact on marine life would be “devastating, with oil residues potentially persisting in the environment for years or even decades,” he said, adding that the “potential for a major environmental disaster is significant as the vessel could break apart at any time.”
IN NUMBERS
- 150k Tonnes of crude oil aboard the Greek-flagged MV Sounion.
- 80 Vessels targeted by the Houthi militia since Oct. 7, 2023.
The economic and humanitarian impact would be equally severe. The Red Sea is not only home to diverse marine life but is also a vital global shipping route, connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa. A major oil spill would disrupt this passage, affecting global trade.
Furthermore, a spill could contaminate desalination plants that supply fresh water to millions in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Eritrea.
The Red Sea’s closed nature, bordered by the Suez Canal to the north and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait to the south, means that any contamination could persist in the water for an extended period.
Efforts to salvage the Sounion have been fraught with complications. The EU’s Aspides naval mission, established in February to protect merchant vessels in the region, is leading the rescue operation, working closely with private sector actors.
Early in the operation, the crew of 23 Filipinos and two Russians, along with four private security personnel, were rescued by a French vessel and taken to Djibouti.
Aspides initially attempted to tow the vessel earlier in September, but the mission was paused due to unsafe conditions and concerns about further damage to the tanker. It was not until mid-September that salvage crews were able to secure a connection to tow the vessel.
The towing process has been dangerous. The tanker, still smoldering and billowing smoke, had to be moved at a “painfully slow” pace to a safe location in the northern Red Sea.
Greek news agencies reported over the weekend that the rescue vessel, Aigaion Pelagos, was towing the Sounion, escorted by the rescue tug Panormitis and several frigates equipped with firefighting and oil spill recovery capabilities.
According to the Greek state news agency ANA-MPA, “three frigates, helicopters and a special forces unit” were involved in the salvage operation.
“Despite challenging conditions, with temperatures reaching up to 400 degrees Celsius due to the fire, the specialized salvage team successfully secured the tanker to the Aigaion Pelagos,” ANA-MPA reported.
The destination of the vessel remains undisclosed, and both ships’ radars have been turned off for safety reasons.
The complexity of the operation reflects the broader challenges faced by the international community in addressing the fallout from Houthi attacks.
While the US Navy has offered assistance, the operation is currently being managed by private entities, with no direct involvement from American forces.
Sabrina Singh, the deputy spokesperson for the US Department of Defense, confirmed earlier this month that the US Navy is “standing by” but has not been called into action.
The Houthi militia has justified its attacks on international shipping as part of its resistance to Israeli actions in Gaza, claiming that the Sounion belongs to a company with alleged ties to Israel.
However, the militia has also attacked multiple vessels with no ties to Israel.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree vowed further attacks as the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack that triggered the Gaza war approaches, signaling that the threat to Red Sea shipping is far from over.
The Sounion crisis echoes the near catastrophe of the FSO Safer, another oil tanker that posed an enormous environmental threat in the Red Sea. The decaying vessel was anchored off the coast of Yemen for years with more than 1 million barrels of oil on board.
After months of international negotiations and funding efforts, the Safer was finally unloaded in 2023 under a UN-led effort, narrowly avoiding what could have been one of the worst oil spills in history.
The Safer’s precarious condition and the drawn-out efforts to secure it illustrated the difficulty of managing such crises in conflict zones.
Jordan armed forces downs drone attempting to cross Jordanian territory
- Petra: ‘The border guard forces ... shot it down and it was transferred to the specialized authorities’
- Jordan neighbors Syria and Iraq — both countries where Iranian proxy forces operate — and also is next door to Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank
CAIRO: Jordanian armed forces thwarted an attempt by a drone to cross the kingdom’s territory, Jordan’s state news agency Petra said on Tuesday, without clarifying the direction from which it was coming.
“The border guard forces ... shot it down and it was transferred to the specialized authorities,” Petra said citing an official source in the army’s leadership.
Petra also quoted the source as saying: “We are dealing firmly with various threats on the kingdom’s borders.”
Jordan neighbors Syria and Iraq — both countries where Iranian proxy forces operate — and also is next door to Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Jordanian statement came shortly after Lebanon’s Hezbollah group accused Israel of detonating pagers across Lebanon, killing at least eight people and wounding nearly 3,000 others including Iran’s envoy to Beirut.
In April, the kingdom shot down Iranian drones flying over to Israel.
More recently in September, a gunman from Jordan killed three Israelis at the Allenby Bridge border crossing in the occupied West Bank before security forces shot him dead.
US MQ-9 drone crashes near Yemen: Pentagon
- The Houthis claimed Tuesday that they had shot down three MQ-9s over the past week — a figure Ryder described as “too high”
WASHINGTON: A US MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed near Yemen, the Pentagon said Tuesday, after Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed to have downed several of the aircraft in recent days.
“Yesterday, an MQ-9 did crash in the vicinity of Yemen. That is being investigated, but I don’t have any additional details to share,” Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told journalists.
The Houthis claimed Tuesday that they had shot down three MQ-9s over the past week — a figure Ryder described as “too high.”
The Pentagon spokesman said he could not provide a specific number for security reasons, but that the Houthis’ figure “is not accurate.”
The latest drone crash came after the Pentagon confirmed in February that another MQ-9 — which can be used for both reconnaissance and strikes — went down off the Yemeni coast after apparently being struck by a Houthi missile.
The Houthis — who are opposed to government forces in Yemen and are one of several militant groups arrayed against Israel — began attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November.
They say they are attacking Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war, but ships from multiple countries that have no ties to the conflict have been targeted.
