Foreign
Israel Forces Fire On Gazans Rushing For Food Aid
- /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Gazans-Rushing-For-Food-Aid.jpg&description=Israel Forces Fire On Gazans Rushing For Food Aid', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Gazans-Rushing-For-Food-Aid.jpg&description=Israel Forces Fire On Gazans Rushing For Food Aid', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
Israeli forces in war-torn Gaza opened fire on Palestinians scrambling for food aid in a chaotic melee on Thursday that the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said killed more than 100 people.
The Israeli military said a “stampede” occurred when thousands of desperate Gazans surrounded a convoy of 38 aid trucks, leading to dozens of deaths and injuries, including some who were run over by the lorries.
An Israeli source acknowledged troops had opened fire on the crowd, believing it “posed a threat”.
The Gaza health ministry condemned what it called a “massacre” in Gaza City in which 112 people were killed and more than 750 others wounded.
The incident adds to a Palestinian death toll from the war which the ministry earlier Thursday said had topped 30,000, and dampens hopes a truce deal between Israel and Hamas militants could be just days away.
There were conflicting reports on what exactly unfolded in the hours before dawn.
A witness in Gaza City, declining to be named for safety reasons, said violence unfolded when thousands of people rushed towards aid trucks at the city’s western Nabulsi roundabout, and soldiers fired at the crowd “as people came too close” to tanks.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the military had fired “a few warning shots” to try to disperse a crowd that had ambushed the aid trucks.
When the crowd got too big, he said the convoy tried to retreat and “the unfortunate incident resulted in dozens of Gazans killed and injured”.
Aerial images released by the Israeli army showed what it said were scores of Gazans surrounding aid trucks in Gaza City.
Ali Awad Ashqir, who said he had gone to get some food for his starving family, told AFP he had been waiting for two hours when trucks began to arrive.
“The moment they arrived, the occupation army fired artillery shells and guns,” he said.
The army spokesman Hagari later denied Israeli forces carried out any shelling or strikes at the time.
‘Another day from hell’
US President Joe Biden said Washington was checking “two competing versions” of the incident, while a State Department spokesman said the United States had been in touch with Israel and was “pressing for answers” on what happened.
The shooting incident would complicate efforts to broker a truce, Biden said, later admitting that any deal was unlikely to happen by Monday — the timeline that he had predicted earlier this week.
The US president spoke with Qatari and Egyptian leaders in separate phone calls, the White House said, saying he discussed both the ceasefire and the “tragic and alarming” aid incident.
The UN Security Council will hold a closed-door emergency meeting on the incident on Thursday afternoon.
Saudi Arabia strongly condemned what it called the “targeting” of unarmed civilians, while Kuwait and the UAE also issued condemnations.
Qatar warned that Israel’s “disregard for Palestinian blood… (will) pave the way for an expanding cycle of violence”.
Italy called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to facilitate more humanitarian aid.
Looting of aid trucks has previously occurred in northern Gaza, where desperate residents have taken to eating animal fodder and even leaves to try to stave off starvation, as aid groups warn of looming famine after nearly five months of war.
The chief of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said that no UN agency had been involved in Thursday’s aid delivery, and called it “another day from hell”.
Truce hopes
The war began on October 7 with an unprecedented Hamas attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, Israeli figures show.
Militants also took about 250 hostages, 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 31 Israel says are presumed dead.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed 30,035 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry.
Israel’s military says 242 soldiers have died in Gaza since ground operations began in late October.
Washington, a key ally of Israel, has been pushing for a reduction in civilian casualties and a ceasefire.
It has been working with mediators from Egypt and Qatar to seek a six-week pause in the war.
Negotiators had hoped a truce could begin by around March 10 or 11 when the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, depending on the lunar calendar.
The proposals reportedly include the release of some Israeli hostages held in Gaza by militants in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Short of the complete withdrawal Hamas has called for, a source from the group said the deal might see Israeli forces leave “cities and populated areas”, allowing the return of some displaced Palestinians and humanitarian relief.
Fears of famine
The World Food Programme has said Israel has blocked access for aid deliveries — which Israeli officials have denied — and warned that if nothing changes, “a famine is imminent in northern Gaza”.
As fighting continued in Gaza, Muhammad Yassin, 35, battled to find flour in Zeitun.
“We have not eaten a loaf of bread for two months,” he said. “Our children are starving.”
In the south, nearly 1.5 million people trying to flee the fighting are now packed into Rafah city, also short of food, as Israel threatens to send in troops against Hamas fighters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under increasing pressure to bring the remaining hostages home.
A group of 150 Israelis have started a four-day march from Reim, near the Gaza border, to Jerusalem, calling for the government to reach a deal.
Violence has also surged in the occupied West Bank, where two Israelis were killed on Thursday.
AFP
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be working royals allowed to carry out official engagements now they have returned to the UK, a letter sent on behalf of King Charles spells out.
The letter is intended to clarify the status of Prince Harry and Meghan, who moved back from California with children Archie and Lilibet last month.
They will still not be able to use titles of “His and Her Royal Highness”, and remain “private citizens”, says the letter sent on behalf of the King by the Lord Chamberlain, a top Palace official.
It comes as Prince Harry appears to have been pictured for the first time since his return, with a photo on social media showing him at a London TV and podcast studio.
The King’s letter has been sent to Prince Harry’s team, government departments, military officials and Lord Lieutenants, according to Palace sources.
Lord Lieutenants, who are the monarch’s local representatives, and government staff are often involved in royal visits and engagements.
This letter makes clear that any engagements carried out by the Sussexes will be in a private capacity and they will not be representing the Royal Family.
It seems to be something of a shot across the bows, making clear that any Prince Harry and Meghan visits should not be treated as royal engagements.
This comes ahead of what are likely to be public appearances by the Sussexes this autumn, as they settle in the UK and support their charities.
The couple have kept a low profile, but the first picture of Prince Harry since coming back to the UK appears to have been posted on the social media account of Tower Bridge Studios in London.
The message from the King emphasises that the position agreed in 2020 when the Sussexes left the UK – the so-called Sandringham Agreement – is still in place.
This ruled out any “half-in and half-out” status, so Harry and Meghan could not pursue their own commercial interests while continuing to be working royals.
“It is well known that in January 2020 the Duke and Duchess stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of the Sovereign, and are no longer working members of the Royal Family,” the letter says.
The letter sent on behalf of the King makes it clear that this remains the case.
“The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity,” it adds.
The King’s message says that any questions from organisations about the reception to be given to the Sussexes, “particularly where recourse to public funds may be required, should be directed to Buckingham Palace”.
Prince Harry and Meghan faced an acrimonious departure from the UK in 2020, which they chronicled in their Netflix documentary.
They established their financial independence in California, including Prince Harry writing a best-selling memoir Spare and Meghan creating an online food range, As Ever.
This summer the couple made a surprise return to the UK, where their children will be going to school.
It’s expected that Prince Harry will be supporting his charities, including the Invictus Games, which are due to be held in Birmingham next year.
There have been reports that Meghan is considering a return to acting.
Disputes about Prince Harry and Meghan’s security in the UK remain unresolved and the letter spells out: “Any operational security issues should continue to be directed to the relevant police authorities.”
Prince Harry has complained about a lack of adequate police protection in the UK, but the Palace says that has to be addressed by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee – known as Ravec – which decides security for royals and public figures.
Palace sources have suggested it was better to make the Lord Chamberlain’s letter public, in a spirit of transparency, rather than risk it emerging in leaks.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s representatives have been contacted for a response.
Foreign
Iraqi court affirms woman’s right to Change and register her religion from Muslim to Christian
Iraq’s top appellate court has concurred with a ruling allowing a woman to change her religious status to Christian in the government database.
Alliance Defending Freedom International, which supported the woman’s legal journey, identified her only as Maryam, explaining that she was automatically registered as a Muslim after her mother married a Muslim while Maryam was a minor.
Prior to the remarriage, Maryam had been raised in a Christian household, ADF International stated. An Iraqi ordinance stipulates that “minor children shall follow the religion of the parent who has converted to Islam.”
After becoming an adult, Maryam sought to change her status to Christian. A lower court granted the request in May, ADF International noted, and Iraq’s Court of Cassation concurred in July.
ADF International said this “sets persuasive precedent for scores of Christians in Iraq facing serious legal and personal consequences” from being wrongly classified as Muslim in the government database. Misclassification can pose complications in education, marriage or inheritance.
The decision also is seen as granting Christians and other minorities more religious freedom in instances of misclassification.
ADF International plans to support similar legal action for Maryam’s two sisters after they reach adulthood.
Iraq is No. 18 on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the 50 places most difficult to be a Christian.
More than 150,000 passengers have been left stranded after a volcanic eruption forced Indonesian authorities to temporarily suspend operations at eight airports.
According to the report, Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was the first to be closed on Sunday morning after ash from Anak Krakatau was detected in airspace near the airport.
Transport minister Dudy Purwagandhi said so far 712 flights have been affected and asked airlines to consider diverting some flights to other airports.
The volcano had started erupting late on Friday night, generating continuous seismic activity, lava fountains, and booming sounds across surrounding regions.
The transport ministry said the pause in operations mainly affected flights to and from Singapore, and other international routes including Doha, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur.
Purwagandhi said the decision to temporarily close more airports was made after tests found that volcanic ash had spread towards West Java.
He urged airlines to speed up processes for refunding tickets for passengers who have been affected by flight cancellations, and for airlines to provide timely information to those with upcoming flights to avoid overcrowding at airports.
Army Deploys AI, Simulation Tech to Sharpen War Against Terrorists
INEC Sets September 19 for By-Elections in Four States
NGF Inaugurates State Procurement DGs Forum, BPP Boss Hailed for Reform Drive
-
News21 hours agoTunji-Ojo: No Extra Charges For Special Passport Intervention In UK
-
News21 hours ago7 Things Parents and Students Should Know About FG’s New Learner Identification Number (LIN)
-
News21 hours agoMan Who Returned to Nigeria for His Wedding Beaten to Death
-
Entertainment21 hours agoBBN: Nomy Kicked Out Of Big Brother House, Her Participation Revoked
-
Foreign21 hours agoIraqi court affirms woman’s right to Change and register her religion from Muslim to Christian
-
News21 hours agoOsun: APC Legal Team Rejects Petition Challenging Adeleke’s Victory
-
News18 hours agoTinubu Is Beatable in 2027, I Know Him Well — Makinde’s Running Mate, Daura
-
News21 hours agoFake agency sagas: Ministers, DGs face fresh hurdles over foreign trips