News

SAD! Medical staff loses entire family, including quadruplets, in air strike

Published

4 weeks ago

August 22, 2024

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A nurse in Gaza has told the BBC his wife and six children – including a group of quadruplets – were killed in an attack in the central Gaza strip.

“My entire family has been wiped out in an instant”, says Ashraf El Attar, “leaving me with nothing”.

The nurse – who works at Gaza’s European hospital – says his family home in Deir-al-Balah was hit in the early hours of Sunday morning. He survived with minor injuries.

Israel has not spoken about this specific attack, but has said its forces were operating in the city. It says it only targets members of armed groups.

Killed in the strike were Mr El Attar’s wife – Hala Khattab, a teacher – and their six children – a 15-year-old boy, a one-year-old girl, and their four 10-year-old quadruplets.

Speaking to BBC Arabic’s Gaza Today podcast, the nurse says that around 6am on the morning of the attack he was getting ready for work when he “heard the alarm sound and suddenly lost consciousness”.

When he came to, Mr El Attar says he was in “severe pain” and the house “was in ruins”.

All the outer walls of their apartment building were destroyed.

“I desperately called out for my children and my wife, but it was too late.

“My six children, including four twins, and my wife were killed instantly in the attack,” he says.

The strike took them by surprise, Mr El Attar says. The night before, the family had spent time “enjoying a soap opera together”, trying to “escape the harsh reality of war”.

Ashraf El Attar sat down wearing turquoise hospital scrub top and with his hands raised in the air in front of him. His right hand is heavily bandaged and has his fingers and thumb poking out. His right eye is covered in an eye patch.

Mr El Attar says all his “dreams have been destroyed” in the attack.

Mr El Attar’s mother – and grandmother to his six children – says she “cannot comprehend” why their home was hit.

“My son Ashraf works as a nurse at the European hospital, where he is dedicated to helping patients.

“We had no connections with any organisations,” she says.

The couple had an “incredibly challenging time” raising their children, she says, in particular the quadruplets.

“The babies faced severe health issues in their early months and nearly died.

“We provided oxygen cylinders at home, and one of them, Hammam, underwent hernia surgery,” she says.

Handout Four children lay in circle on grass with their thumbs raised into the air. Some yellow stars, added via a camera filter, appear over the top of the image.Handout

The couple’s six children – a 15-year-old boy, a one-year-old girl, and a group of 10-year-old quadruplets – were all killed

Mr El Attar says his wife – Hala – was “dedicated” to helping displaced people.

She was working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), he says, a UN agency that provides support for Palestinian refugees.

Now the nurse says he is forced to come to terms with the life they could have had together.

“I worked tirelessly to support my family and watch my children grow up, dreaming of giving them a better future – a big house, a car, and mobile phones,” he says.

But now “all those dreams have been destroyed”.

“I demand justice for my family”, he says, something he vows to pursue through “any international court”.

“Israel has committed a grave injustice. My entire family has been wiped out in an instant, leaving me with nothing.”

The Israel Defense Forces has not commented on this specific strike, but has said it was operating in Deir al-Balah over the weekend.

In another statement on Monday, it said it had been operating in the outskirts of Deir al-Balah “eliminating terrorists, destroying combat compounds above and below ground”.

It says It only targets members of armed groups, and blames civilian deaths on Hamas – who it says places fighters, weapons, tunnels and rockets in residential areas.

Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people in an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages.

That attack triggered a massive Israeli military offensive against Gaza and the current war, during which more than 40,170 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. (BBC, excluding headline)

News

Shettima becomes 1st VP to lead Nigeria’s delegation to UN Assembly in 25 yrs

Published

1 hour ago

September 20, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has decided not to attend the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York this year.

The president has thus directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation.

President Tinubu, who returned to the country last Sunday after his trip to China and the United Kingdom, according to a statement yesterday by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding.

“At UNGA 79, Vice President Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement to the General Assembly, attend important sideline events, and hold bilateral meetings.”

“The high-level General Debate, with the theme ‘Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations,’ will run from Tuesday, September 24, through Saturday, September 28, 2024,” the statement added.

Since return to democratic governance in 199, Shettima will be the first Vice President to Nigeria’s delegation to UNGA.

Only Goodluck Jonathan represented Nigeria as Acting president in September 2010 at the 65th UNGA, while late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua was away in Saudi Arabia due to his ill health.

News

Plateau Assembly approves N5.8bn for LG election

Published

1 hour ago

September 20, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Plateau State House of Assembly, on Thursday, approved N5.8bn for the conduct of the local government election in the state slated for October 9, 2024.

The approval by the House followed a communication from Governor Caleb Mutfwang, which was read at plenary by the Assembly Speaker, Gabriel Dewan.

The Speaker stated that the request was necessary as there was no budgetary allocation for the LG elections in the 2024 budget.

A member of the State Assembly, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak for the Assembly, confirmed the development to The PUNCH in Jos on Thursday.

The lawmaker said, “Governor Mutfwang, at Tuesday’s plenary, sought the House’s approval for N5.7bn as the 2024 supplementary, which was increased after upward review by the legislators.”

He continued, “The House leader, Joseph Bukar, presented the bill during our plenary. While soliciting the support of members for speedy passage, he said PLASIEC was running out of time in preparation for the election.”

“In their individual contributions, Hon. Kalamu Dal suggested a downward review of the budget size, while Hon. Daniel Nanbol urged for a critical review and deliberations. Afterwards, members approved a revised sum of N5.8bn, as opposed to the N5.7bn requested.”

The increase, as explained by Bukar, was due to an increase in security allocation for the election, from N2.7m to N4.2m. “So, that is what happened, and that is where we are at the moment regarding the forthcoming LG election,” the lawmaker concluded.

News

Enugu, Kwara tighten security ahead of LG polls

Published

1 hour ago

September 20, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Security measures have been intensified in Enugu and Kwara states ahead of their Local Government elections scheduled for Saturday, September 21, 2024.

In Enugu State, the Police Command has pledged to ensure the safety of lives and properties during the elections.

However, the peace accord signing for the elections was marred by the absence of major parties like the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, and Labour Party.

Only representatives from the All Progressives Grand Alliance and Accord attended but chose not to sign the accord, citing the lack of participation from the leading parties.

Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, said all wards and flashpoints had been identified, and security personnel would be on high alert to prevent any disruptions.

The Chairman of the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission, Prof. Chris Ngwu, said the commission was fully prepared for the elections with the support of the state government in procuring necessary materials.

In Kwara State, security agencies have been actively coordinating to ensure a smooth electoral process.

Over 3,000 personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have been deployed across the state.

The Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission has completed arrangements for a trouble-free election.

Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, reported that a strategic meeting with heads of various security agencies, including the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, and others, had been held to ensure coordinated efforts for maintaining law and order.

The Commissioner of Police, Victor Olaiya, guaranteed maximum security for the election period.

The NSCDC Commandant, Dr. Umar Mohammed, announced the deployment of 3,000 personnel to various polling units and emphasised their role in preventing violence, ballot snatching, and other disruptions.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission, Telumun Tombowua, announced on Thursday that eight political parties will participate in the upcoming LG elections in the state, scheduled for October 5, 2024.

Addressing journalists in Makurdi, Tombowua said the election would be conducted fairly and transparently.

He emphasised that the law establishing the BSIEC does not permit the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation Machines for this election.

Regarding the APC, Tombowua confirmed that the National Working Committee of the party had requested the commission to work with the seven-man caretaker committee appointed to oversee party affairs in the state.

He noted that while 14 parties had initially shown interest, only eight completed the necessary processes and submitted their candidates.