UNRWA ban in Gaza ‘will not make Israel safer’: WHO

A Palestinian man carries an aid box distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, November 4, 2024. (Reuters)

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Updated 05 November 2024

AFP

November 05, 2024 00:32

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UNRWA ban in Gaza ‘will not make Israel safer’: WHO

“This ban will not make Israel safer. It will only deepen the suffering of the people of Gaza and increase the risk of disease outbreaks,” Tedros says

Updated 05 November 2024

AFP

November 05, 2024 00:32

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GENEVA: The chief of the World Health Organization on Monday denounced Israel’s decision to cut ties with the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, saying it would not make the country safer while increasing civilian suffering in Gaza.
“Let me be clear: There is simply no alternative to UNRWA,” the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a video posted on X.
“This ban will not make Israel safer. It will only deepen the suffering of the people of Gaza and increase the risk of disease outbreaks,” Tedros added.
His comments came after Israel said it had formally notified the UN of its decision to sever ties with UNRWA, after Israeli lawmakers backed the move last week.
The suspension of the agency, which coordinates nearly all aid in war-ravaged Gaza, sparked global condemnation including from key Israeli backer the United States.
The move is expected to come into force in late January, with the UN Security Council warning it would have severe consequences for millions of Palestinians.
Israel has accused a dozen UNRWA employees of taking part in the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, the deadliest in Israeli history.
A series of probes found some “neutrality related issues” at UNRWA but said Israel had not provided evidence for its chief allegations.
The agency, which employs 13,000 people in Gaza, fired nine employees after an internal probe found that they “may have been involved in the armed attacks of 7 October.”
UNRWA, which was established in 1949 after the first Arab-Israeli conflict following Israel’s creation a year earlier, provides assistance to nearly six million Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
“Every day, it provides thousands of medical consultations and vaccinated hundreds of children,” Tedros said, adding that many humanitarian partners rely on UNRWA’s logistical networks to get supplies into Gaza.
He said that the UNRWA staff his organization had worked with were “dedicated health and humanitarian professionals who work tirelessly for their communities under unimaginable circumstances.”
Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 43,374 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which the United Nations considers to be reliable.

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Topics: War on Gaza UNRWA WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Israeli officials in Doha for talks on Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal: source to AFP

Updated 50 sec ago

AFP

December 17, 2024 01:00

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Israeli officials in Doha for talks on Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal: source to AFP

“This is between Israeli and Qatari working-level teams,” the source said, indicating discussions were aimed a bridging gaps between the parties

Updated 50 sec ago

AFP

December 17, 2024 01:00

DOHA, Qatar: Israeli officials arrived in Doha, Qatar, on Monday for talks aimed at a Gaza ceasefire and a hostage-prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP.
“An Israeli technical team is in Doha to discuss the ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza,” the source said, on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks,
“This is between Israeli and Qatari working-level teams,” the source said, indicating discussions were aimed a bridging gaps between the parties.
The meetings follow a trip by David Barnea, who heads Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, to Doha on Wednesday, the source said, though there was no indication Barnea was present at the current meetings.
Qatar, along with the United States and Egypt, has been involved in months of behind-the-scenes negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release.
But apart from a one-week pause in fighting late last year, during which scores of Hamas-held hostages were released in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails, successive negotiations have failed to halt the war.

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Topics: War on Gaza Palestine Gaza US

Restoring damaged crusader castle may be possible in new Syria: director

Updated 22 min 50 sec ago

AFP

December 17, 2024 00:35

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Restoring damaged crusader castle may be possible in new Syria: director

Many centuries later, after civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, the castle again became a battleground, sustaining damage this time between government forces and rebels vying for its strategic location

Updated 22 min 50 sec ago

AFP

December 17, 2024 00:35

KRAK DES CHEVALIERS, Syria: Fully restoring Syria’s war-damaged Krak des Chevaliers fortress, one of the world’s most famous Crusader castles, may finally be within reach if the new authorities allocate the necessary resources, according to its director.
Sitting atop a high ridge in what is now the Homs province of modern-day Syria, the UNESCO-listed fortress was built by a medieval Catholic military order, the Knights of St. John, who held it from 1142 to 1271, when it was captured by a Mamluk sultan.
Many centuries later, after civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, the castle again became a battleground, sustaining damage this time between government forces and rebels vying for its strategic location.
Since long-time president Bashar Assad was ousted over a week ago after an 11-day offensive by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and its allies, the fortress’s director Hazem Hanna has regained hope that Krak des Chevaliers can come back to life.
“We are now in a period of recovery and we hope that we will receive the necessary resources to restore what was damaged in the castle,” he told AFP.
The castle, which could once accommodate a garrison of 2,000 men, sustained damage at the height of the war, most notably to its Gothic reception hall and chapel.
In 2013, two years into the devastating civil war, the Krak des Chevaliers was put on UNESCO’s World Heritage in Danger list, alongside the ruins of Palmyra and the old city of Aleppo.

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Topics: Fall of Assad Syria Krak des Chevaliers fortress

Conditions in north Gaza hospital ‘appalling’: WHO chief

Updated 21 min 30 sec ago

AFP

December 16, 2024 20:54

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Conditions in north Gaza hospital ‘appalling’: WHO chief

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: UN health agency and partners reached the facility ‘two days ago, amid hostilities and explosions in the vicinity of the hospital during the mission’
Ghebreyesus: Team ‘delivered 5,000 liters of fuel, food and medicines, and transferred three patients and six companions to Al-Shifa,’ the Palestinian territory’s main hospital

Updated 21 min 30 sec ago

AFP

December 16, 2024 20:54

GENEVA: A World Health Organization official said Monday a humanitarian team finally reached one of northern Gaza’s only functioning hospitals at the weekend to deliver fuel, food and medicines, and found “appalling” conditions.
Kamal Adwan Hospital is located in Beit Lahia, a city at the center of an intense Israeli military operation aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping in northern Gaza.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X that after multiple attempts, the United Nations health agency and partners reached the facility “two days ago, amid hostilities and explosions in the vicinity of the hospital during the mission.”
The team, he said, had “delivered 5,000 liters of fuel, food and medicines, and transferred three patients and six companions to Al-Shifa,” the Palestinian territory’s main hospital.
Kamal Adwan is one of the last operational medical facilities in the north of the war-ravaged territory, with the WHO warning earlier this month that it was operating at a “minimum” level.
The agency said efforts to deliver desperately needed supplies have been repeatedly hampered.
Earlier this month, it said a mission reached the hospital on November 30 after weeks of unsuccessful attempts, bringing aid and an international emergency team, including surgeons and other specialists.
But days later, that team was among large numbers who fled the hospital amid heavy hostilities around the facility.
“This has left the hospital without specialized personnel for surgical and maternal care,” Tedros warned, adding that the attacks have resulted in further damage to the facility and its oxygen and electricity supplies.
“The conditions in the hospital are simply appalling,” he said.
“We urge for the protection of health care and for this hell to stop! Ceasefire!“
The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Since then, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 45,000 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.

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Topics: War on Gaza Kamal Adwan Hospital Beit Lahia Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus World Health Organization (WHO)

UN must put justice for torture victims in Libya ahead of election plans, Security Council told

Updated 42 min 58 sec ago

Ephrem Kossaify

December 17, 2024 00:21

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UN must put justice for torture victims in Libya ahead of election plans, Security Council told

Libyan human rights activist Ali Omar warns that any political process will be undermined if victims of torture, arbitrary detention and other crimes are denied justice
He presents alarming report documenting more than 280 ‘grave’ violations of human rights in the country this year alone

Updated 42 min 58 sec ago

Ephrem Kossaify

December 17, 2024 00:21

NEW YORK CITY: A leading Libyan human rights activist called on the UN Security Council to prioritize accountability for human rights violations in the country over the planning of elections.

Addressing council members on Monday, Ali Omar, the director of Libya Crimes Watch, warned that any future political process would be undermined by the absence of justice for the victims of torture, arbitrary detention and other crimes.

He presented an alarming report that documented more than 280 “grave” violations of human rights in Libya this year, “perpetrated by both eastern and western authorities” in the country.

He said: “These figures are not mere statistics but reflect harrowing stories and real tragedies of victims, including the most vulnerable groups such as women and migrants, as well as activists, journalists, lawyers and others.

“These violations include torture in prisons, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Such practices not only destroy the lives of individuals and their families but also sow fear throughout society and undermine any hope for peace.

“These heinous crimes are not isolated acts, but systematic and recurrent, carried out and overseen by all sides in the conflict, including the Libyan Armed Forces, the Government of National Unity, and other military groups.”

Omar, who lives in exile, urged the Security Council to shift its focus from planning an electoral process for Libya to the urgent need to hold accountable those responsible for rights abuses in the country.

“The persistence of these violations poses a serious threat to social peace and stability in Libya,” he said.

“How can a country where individuals accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity hold the senior positions of power, how can such a country organize fair and transparent elections?”

Omar, himself a former prisoner of conscience, added: “Prisons and unofficial detention centers represent a dangerous and ongoing phenomenon. In these places, human dignity is stripped away and individuals are treated as mere numbers without value.”

He highlighted as particular concerns the ongoing repression of civil society, the arbitrary detention of activists, and the deaths of prisoners in suspicious circumstances. He told how three detainees — a woman and two followers of Sufi orders, a religious minority long subjected to persecution — died under torture at an unofficial detention center in Benghazi in November 2023.

“This culture of impunity perpetuates violence and political instability,” Omar said.

He also spoke about the chilling effects of repressive government legislation, including anti-cybercrime and anti-terrorism laws that were used to justify the arrests of more than 50 activists in eastern and western Libya in 2023 alone.

Omar highlighted the cases of 16 people, including four children, who were arrested for demonstrating peacefully in support of the former Libyan regime following the catastrophic collapse of two dams in Derna in September 2023 following a storm. The disaster claimed at least 6,000 lives. Demonstrators were arrested for protesting against the corruption and governmental negligence they believe contributed to the disaster, and demanding that those responsible be held accountable.

Calling for urgent reforms in Libya, Omar urged the Security Council to establish an independent international mechanism to investigate violations of human rights and hold the perpetrators accountable.

He also called for the UN Support Mission in Libya to be granted a stronger mandate to address issues related to human rights, including the protection of vulnerable communities and an end to arbitrary detentions.

“Libyan civil society and human rights defenders in exile are asking for one thing: accountability,” Omar said. “Without it, no political process, no election, will be credible.”

Libya continues to grapple with deep political divisions and ongoing violence, despite years of international efforts to mediate peace and facilitate democratic elections.

The nation has been in turmoil since the Arab Spring protests in 2011 that led to the overthrow and killing of Muammar Qaddafi, who had ruled for 42 years. It is split between two rival governments backed by armed militias and international patrons. In the west of the country, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah heads the internationally recognized Government of National Unity. In the east, Prime Minister Ossama Hamad heads the Government of National Stability, backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army.

Given this fractured governmental structure and competing military factions, many fear the continuing failure to address human rights violations can only prolong the instability and prevent the formation of a legitimate, unified government.

Omar urged council members to “look into the eyes of the victims” and take decisive action to prevent further atrocities.

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Topics: Libya UN Security Council (UNSC)

Golan Heights: strategic Israeli-occupied plateau on Syria border

Updated 48 min ago

AFP

December 17, 2024 00:15

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Golan Heights: strategic Israeli-occupied plateau on Syria border

A foreign ministry spokesman in Berlin said "it is perfectly clear under international law that this area controlled by Israel belongs to Syria and that Israel is therefore an occupying power"

Updated 48 min ago

AFP

December 17, 2024 00:15

JERUSALEM: Since the toppling of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad more than a week ago, Israel has sparked international condemnation with its moves in the Golan Heights, a strategic territory on the border with Syria.
Israel has occupied most of the Golan since 1967 and in 1981 annexed the area, in a move recognised only by the United States during President Donald Trump's first term.
Here is a look at the territory, its history, and significance:

The Golan Heights are a popular nature spot for Israelis. The plateau overlooks Lebanon and Jordan and offers sweeping views of Israel to the west and deep into Syria to the northeast.
The area is bordered by Mount Hermon, whose snowy peak rises to more than 2,800 metres, popular with skiers.

Israel conquered around two-thirds of the Golan during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and one month later established its first civilian settlement there, Merom Golan. Twelve additional communities were created by 1970.
Further fighting erupted during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, with clashes continuing into the following year until Israel and Syria reached an agreement on an armistice line that for most of the past 50 years has remained peaceful.

As part of the deal, an 80 kilometre-long (50 mile) United Nations-patrolled buffer zone was created on the east of Israeli-occupied territory, separating it from the Syrian side and watched over by the multinational UN Disengagement and Observer Force. UNDOF's positions include a post atop Mount Hermon.
Syria retains control of the rest of the Golan east of the buffer zone.
In December 1981, Israel annexed the Golan territory it had occupied.

Today the Golan Heights are still sparsely settled but are home to an estimated 30,000 Jewish residents who live in more than 30 settlements, along with about 23,000 Druze.
The Druze, whose presence predates the Israeli occupation, are an Arab ethno-religious minority who also live in Lebanon, Jordan and Israel as well as Syria and the occupied Golan.
Many have not accepted Israeli nationality, and still identify as Syrian.
The Golan is also home to multiple Israeli military bases.

In 2019, during his first term in office, then-US president Donald Trump formally recognised Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan, making the United States the only country to do so.
The move prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in June of 2019 to announce the creation of a new settlement, Trump Heights, named after the US leader.

On Sunday, a week after Islamist-led rebels toppled Assad in a lightning offensive, the Israeli government approved a 40 million shekel ($11 million) plan to double the population of the Golan.
Netanyahu's office said the plan comes "in light of the war and the new front in Syria and the desire to double the population."
He said that strengthening the Golan was key to strengthening Israel, after declaring a week earlier that the Golan would remain in Israel's hands "for eternity".
"We have no interest in confronting Syria. Israel's policy toward Syria will be determined by the evolving reality on the ground," Netanyahu said in a separate video statement.
Israel has previously announced plans to increase the number of settlers in the Golan, with the government of then-premier Naftali Bennett approving a $317 million, five-year programme to double the settler population in December 2021.
At the time, the Israeli population in the occupied Golan Heights was around 25,000.
Germany was among those opposing the new plan.
A foreign ministry spokesman in Berlin said "it is perfectly clear under international law that this area controlled by Israel belongs to Syria and that Israel is therefore an occupying power".
Riyadh's foreign ministry expressed "condemnation and denunciation" of the plan, which it called part of "continued sabotage of opportunities to restore security and stability in Syria" after Assad's overthrow.

Days earlier, while Assad's rule was collapsing in Syria, Netanyahu ordered troops into the buffer zone, saying it was a temporary and defensive measure in light of the "vacuum on Israel's border and in the buffer zone".
On Friday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered troops to "prepare to remain" in the buffer for the winter.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and an Israeli government spokesman both confirmed that Israeli troops had also moved beyond the demarcated buffer zone.
Israel's move into the buffer zone was also widely condemned.
A UN spokesman called it a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement.
A Turkish foreign ministry statement said Israel had moved into the buffer zone at a sensitive time for Syria.
"When the possibility of achieving the peace and stability the Syrian people have desired for many years has emerged, Israel is once again displaying its occupying mentality," the statement said.

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Topics: Fall of Assad Syria US

UNRWA ban in Gaza ‘will not make Israel safer’: WHO

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UNRWA ban in Gaza ‘will not make Israel safer’: WHO

UNRWA ban in Gaza ‘will not make Israel safer’: WHO

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