UN agency says Israel still preventing aid from reaching northern Gaza

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid cross into the Gaza Strip from Erez crossing in southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP)
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid cross into the Gaza Strip from Erez crossing in southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP)
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UN agency says Israel still preventing aid from reaching northern Gaza

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid cross into the Gaza Strip from Erez crossing in southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP)
  • Hospitals have been hit and are without power while injured people are left without care, Philippe Lazzarini said on X
  • “@UNRWA remaining shelters are so overcrowded, some displaced people are now forced to live in the toilets,” he added

GAZA: Israeli authorities are still preventing humanitarian missions from reaching areas of northern Gaza with critical supplies including medicine and food for people under siege, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said on Monday.
Hospitals have been hit and are without power while injured people are left without care, Philippe Lazzarini said on X.
“@UNRWA remaining shelters are so overcrowded, some displaced people are now forced to live in the toilets. According to reports, people attempting to flee are getting killed, their bodies left on the street. Missions to rescue people from under the rubble are also being denied,” he added.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on the UNRWA statement.
Israel says it is getting large quantities of humanitarian supplies into Gaza with land deliveries, including one on Monday morning, and airdrops. It also says it has facilitated the evacuation of patients from the Kamal Adwan Hospital.
“Humanitarian agencies including @UNRWA must get access to north Gaza. Denying & weaponizing humanitarian assistance to achieve military purposes is a sign of how low the moral compass is,” Lazzarini said.
He said assistance must reach everyone in need in the Palestinian enclave, including children and Israeli hostages held by Hamas militants.
“A ceasefire is the beginning of putting an end to this endless nightmare,” he added.
Israel began a wide military offensive in northern Gaza, especially inside Jabalia, the largest of the enclave’s eight historic camps, over two weeks ago, with the declared aim of preventing Hamas fighters from regrouping.


Arab League head urges ceasefire, calls for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories

Arab League head urges ceasefire, calls for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories
Updated 16 sec ago
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Arab League head urges ceasefire, calls for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories

Arab League head urges ceasefire, calls for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories

BEIRUT: Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Monday in Beirut that the league’s priority was to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, and he called for Israel’s prompt withdrawal from any Lebanese territories it has occupied or entered.
Aboul Gheit was also asked if Hezbollah could be destroyed, to which he replied: “You cannot destroy an idea.”


Envoy Hochstein says US working with Lebanon and Israel to end conflict for good

Envoy Hochstein says US working with Lebanon and Israel to end conflict for good
Updated 6 min 58 sec ago
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Envoy Hochstein says US working with Lebanon and Israel to end conflict for good

Envoy Hochstein says US working with Lebanon and Israel to end conflict for good
  • “Both sides simply committing to (UN resolution) 1701 is not enough,” Hochstein said

BEIRUT: US special envoy Amos Hochstein said on Monday in Beirut that the United States was working with both Israel and Lebanon to find a formula that would end their conflict for good.
UN resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in 2006, calls for southern Lebanon to be free of any troops or weapons other than those of the Lebanese state.
The Iranian-backed Shiite movement did not end its presence, however.
Continued cross-border tensions culminated in Hezbollah missile attacks on northern Israel in support of the Palestinian militant group Hamas after it staged a bloody killing spree in Israel from Gaza just over a year ago. Israel began a large-scale onslaught on Hezbollah last month.
Hochstein, visiting Lebanon for the second time in two months, was holding talks with Lebanese officials in a new US mediation push to bring peace to the Middle East after Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week.
“Both sides simply committing to (UN resolution) 1701 is not enough,” Hochstein told a press conference.
“We are working with government of Lebanon, the state of Lebanon, as well as the government of Israel to get to a formula that brings an end to this conflict once and for all.”
Israel’s assault on Hezbollah has raised fears of a wider regional conflict between Israel and Hezbollah’s patron, Iran.
Hochstein said that he held a “very constructive” meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a close ally of Hezbollah, who has been engaging in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.


Lufthansa extends suspension of Tel Aviv flights to Nov 10

Lufthansa extends suspension of Tel Aviv flights to Nov 10
Updated 51 min 4 sec ago
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Lufthansa extends suspension of Tel Aviv flights to Nov 10

Lufthansa extends suspension of Tel Aviv flights to Nov 10

Berlin: German airline group Lufthansa said Monday it was extending the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv to November 10 as Israel is at war in Gaza and Lebanon.
“The Lufthansa Group airlines... have decided to extend the suspension of their flights to Tel Aviv up to and including 10 November 2024,” the company said in a statement.


Crowd in Egypt attacks a railway guard after 2 children are ran over

Crowd in Egypt attacks a railway guard after 2 children are ran over
Updated 21 October 2024
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Crowd in Egypt attacks a railway guard after 2 children are ran over

Crowd in Egypt attacks a railway guard after 2 children are ran over
  • A crowd descended on the intersection near the town of Bilaydah in the city of Al-Ayat, where a train earlier killed two children trying to cross
  • Officials said they attacked a guard and set fire to his room. It wasn’t immediately clear what happened to the guard

CAIRO: Angry residents attacked a railway guard and his post in a town outside Cairo on Monday after a train ran over and killed two children crossing a train intersection that was closed to pedestrians, officials said.
A crowd descended on the intersection near the town of Bilaydah in the city of Al-Ayat, where a train earlier killed two children trying to cross, according to the Egyptian National Railways.
They attacked the guard who was securing the level crossing and set fire to his room, officials said. It wasn’t immediately clear what happened to the guard.
Local media reported that the two children were on their way to school.
Train accidents are common in Egypt. A train crash earlier this month killed one person and injured more than 20 others in southern Egypt.
In recent years, the government has announced initiatives to improve railways.


UAE president attends dinner hosted by Russia’s President Putin

UAE president attends dinner hosted by Russia’s President Putin
Updated 21 October 2024
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UAE president attends dinner hosted by Russia’s President Putin

UAE president attends dinner hosted by Russia’s President Putin

DUBAI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended a dinner hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the latter’s official residence, state news agency WAM reported.

During the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed expressed his gratitude to Putin for his continued efforts in strengthening UAE-Russian relations and conveyed his wishes for Russia’s prosperity.

Putin welcomed Sheikh Mohamed’s visit, commending his role in enhancing bilateral ties and elevating them to a strategic partnership.