Many people were searching for their relatives and the estimate is said to be around 200….reports Asian Lite News
Wayanad, July 31 (IANS) The death toll in the landslide-affected Kerala’s Wayanad mounted to 176 on Wednesday even as the Army, Navy and Air Force were engaged in rescue operations and setting up infrastructure, including bridges.
The number of missing people as per the officials was 98. However, many people were searching for their relatives and the estimate is said to be around 200.
The worst affected areas include Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil and Pothukalu. The locals from these areas who managed to escape are deeply shattered by the extent of the devastation.
Heavy rain at a few places hampered the rescue operations.
On Wednesday fresh forces arrived, including Brigadier Arjun Seagan, Commandant of the PARA Regiment Training Centre, and his team. The team reached the affected site and took charge of the Control Centre at Mepaddi which is about 12 km from Churalmala, one of the worst affected sites.
Four Relief Columns of the Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre & 122 TA Battalion (MADRAS) began their operations at 6 a.m. They were divided into two composite teams for joint rescue and extrication of dead bodies and for assistance in setting up the Bailey Bridge at Churalmala.
Another two Columns, including a medical team of the 91 Infantry Battalion landed at Kozhikode late Tuesday night and reached the affected areas. The team is led by CO 23 Maratha Light Infantry.
The Engineering Task Force of Madras Engineer Group, Bangalore & C (01 Officer, 02 JCOs & 120 Soldiers) have already reached Churalmala. Equipment to set up a 170-foot bridge is being planned at Churalmala, while a second set of bridge equipment columns along with bailey pier parts is likely to reach by afternoon.
The Commandant, MEG Centre will be overseeing the critical bridge activity and will arrive later in the day.
Another set of Bailey Bridge from ESD Delhi Cantonment is being airlifted for Kannur by the C-17 Globemaster. The operation will be coordinated by Captain Puran Singh of the Kannur Defence Security Corps (DSC).
Bridge construction materials will be brought to Wayanad in 17 trucks.
Bridge equipment along with three sniffer dogs and handlers from Delhi has landed in Kannur and is on its way to the affected areas.
The combined defence forces team on Tuesday rescued over 1,000 people and 70 dead bodies recovered by the armed forces last night.
On top of that, it urges reforms of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the strengthening of Multilateral Development Banks…reports Asian Lite News
Finance ministers and central bank presidents of the Group of Twenty (G20) concluded their third meeting in Rio de Janeiro, adopting a joint communique that calls for a more just, stable, and efficient international tax system.
“We acknowledge the urgency and importance of realignment in quota shares to better reflect members’ relative positions in the world economy, while protecting the quota shares of the poorest members,” the communique states, also addressing the development needs and priorities of low- and middle-income countries.
On top of that, it urges reforms of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the strengthening of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), Xinhua news agency reported.
The G20 Ministerial Declaration on International Tax Cooperation was issued at the meeting and calls for strengthening tax transparency, preventing base erosion and profit shifting, as well as applying progressive taxation to ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
Brazil’s Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, the coordinator of the meeting, said that the release of the joint communique is a victory for the international community after several years.
“The G20 needs to take advantage of the Financial Track to strengthen cooperation mechanisms,” Haddad added.
Brazil has held the rotating presidency of the G20 since last December. During its one-year term, the Brazilian government focuses on three priorities: combating hunger, poverty, and inequality; sustainable development; and global governance reform.
The website was created by aides who previously organised a walkout on Capitol Hill protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress….reports Asian Lite News
A group of Washington staffers has launched a website called the Congressional Dissent Channel, allowing individuals to anonymously express objections and criticisms of the US government’s stance on Gaza. Modelled after the US State Department’s dissent channel established during the Vietnam War, this platform enables staffers to voice dissent without fear of retaliation.
The website was created by aides who previously organised a walkout on Capitol Hill protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress. The same group also held a flower vigil outside the Capitol last November, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The group describes itself as composed of “congressional aides dedicated to changing the paradigm of US support for the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza being carried out by the state of Israel.”
Congressional aides typically maintain low profiles and have limited avenues to express views differing from their employers, risking dismissal if they do. Michael Suchecki, spokesman for the Congressional Progressive Staff Association, emphasized the aides’ duty to represent alternative opinions, especially those reflecting the views of voters.
In the aftermath of the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, a shift in attitudes occurred, leading to the formation of the Congressional Progressive Staff Association and the framework for an official workers’ union. Many aides have since focused on advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, highlighting US arms shipments to Israel.
In a statement on the Congressional Dissent Channel’s webpage, staffers criticized current US foreign policy, highlighting the use of American-made bombs in Gaza and the marginalization of voices advocating for peace. The site, launched on Sunday, featured six memos from anonymous congressional aides by Monday morning, with provisions for submitting anonymous videos and memos for content evaluation and publication.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks in a TV address in Caracas, Venezuela, March 16, 2020. (Venezuela's Presidency/Handout via Xinhua/IANS)
The opposition’s Maria Corina Machado called for families to turn out on Tuesday for “popular assemblies” across the South American nation…reports Asian Lite News
As the opposition leaders continue to dispute the election results that saw President Nicolas Maduro secure another term in power, the protests intensified on Tuesday, with more people taking to streets, Al Jazeera reported.
The opposition’s Maria Corina Machado called for families to turn out on Tuesday for “popular assemblies” across the South American nation.
Machado told reporters a day earlier that a review of available voting records from Sunday’s election showed that presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez had achieved a “categorical and mathematically irreversible” victory over Maduro.
The two opposition leaders appeared at a gathering in the capital of Caracas on Tuesday. “What we are fighting here is a fraud by the regime,” said Machado, urging peaceful protest.
A large crowd, many waving Venezuelan flags, chanted: “We are not afraid!”
Opposition protesters also marched in the cities of Valencia, Maracay, San Cristobal, Maracaibo and Barquisimeto throughout the day.
The demonstrations come a day after Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) formally confirmed that Maduro had been re-elected by a majority of Venezuelans to another six-year term as president “for the period 2025-2031.”
That announcement fueled widespread anger and thousands of protestors took to streets to voice their opposition to Maduro and his government. They were met by tear gas and rubber bullets fired by police, as reported by Al Jazeera
A local monitoring group, the Venezuelan Conflict Observatory, said it had registered 187 protests in 20 states by Monday evening, with “numerous acts of repression and violence” carried out by paramilitary groups and security forces.
According to rights group Foro Penal, at least 11 people had been killed in incidents related to the election count or the protests.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan opposition party Voluntad Popular said in a social media post on Tuesday that its national coordinator, Freddy Superlano, had been detained.
Dismissing all the international criticism and doubts raised over poll results, Maduro claimed that Venezuela was the target of an attempted “coup d’etat” of a “fascist and counter-revolutionary” nature.
His government has called the protesters “violent agitators,” and Maduro directly blamed Gonzalez, his presidential challenger, for the deteriorating situation
“I hold [Gonzalez] responsible for everything that is happening in Venezuela, criminal violence…the wounded, the dead, the destruction,” said the Venezuelan leader. Maduro also warned that “justice will come,” Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)
Blinken emphasised that the additional foreign military financing aims to bolster security collaboration with the US’s oldest treaty ally in the region…reports Asian Lite News
The United States announced a $500 million military funding package on Tuesday to modernize the Philippine armed forces, as the two nations strengthen their defence cooperation amid ongoing tensions with China over the South China Sea. The announcement was made following a meeting in Manila between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, and their Philippine counterparts, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
Blinken emphasised that the additional foreign military financing aims to bolster security collaboration with the US’s oldest treaty ally in the region. He described it as a “once-in-a-generation investment” to modernize the Filipino Armed Forces and Coast Guard.
This increased US support follows a series of confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, where China claims extensive territorial rights. Recently, Chinese coast guard ships rammed and boarded Philippine naval vessels during a resupply mission at the Second Thomas Shoal, a contentious area in the disputed waters.
Austin reiterated that the US-Philippines mutual defence treaty is foundational to their alliance and clarified that it covers armed attacks on either nation’s forces, aircraft, or vessels in the South China Sea.
The Philippines and China have overlapping claims in the resource-rich region, which is a critical global trade route. Despite a 2016 ruling by an international tribunal in The Hague rejecting China’s expansive claims, Beijing has continued to assert its presence in the area.
The US and the Philippines also agreed to enhance cooperation in cybersecurity and other areas, aiming to strengthen the Southeast Asian country’s resilience against external threats. Defence Secretary Teodoro highlighted that the funding will not only enhance military capabilities but also improve humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
Don McLain Gill, an international studies lecturer at De La Salle University in Manila, noted that the funding is crucial for the Philippines as it implements its comprehensive archipelagic defence concept and advances its military modernization program. He described the aid as a significant development in the US-Philippines alliance and emphasized the US’s role as a key capacity builder and security provider.
The video was originally posted by an X account linked to the conservative podcaster Chris Kohls and labeled a “parody.”…reports Asian Lite News
Billionaire X owner Elon Musk was facing criticism Monday for sharing a deepfake video featuring US Vice President Kamala Harris, which tech campaigners said violated the platform’s own policies.
Musk reposted a manipulated Harris campaign video in which a voiceover mimicking her calls President Joe Biden senile, and declares that she does not “know the first thing about running the country,” adding that as a woman and a person of color, she is the “ultimate diversity hire.
The video was originally posted by an X account linked to the conservative podcaster Chris Kohls and labeled a “parody.”
But Musk’s repost on Friday made no such disclosure, stating only: “This is amazing,” along with a laughing emoji.
Musk’s repost garnered more than 130 million views and comes amid growing alarm over AI-enabled political disinformation ahead of the US presidential election in November.
“We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity, and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump,” Harris’s presidential campaign said in a statement.
With nearly 192 million followers, Musk is a highly influential voice on the platform, previously called Twitter, which he purchased in 2022 in a $44 billion deal.
Earlier this month, Musk endorsed Trump in a post on X shortly after the Republican narrowly escaped an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, posted on X that the manipulated Harris video “should be illegal” and that he would soon sign a bill banning such media.
A defiant Musk responded to his post, saying “parody is legal in America,” while including the original video below it.
Musk’s repost appeared to violate X’s policies, which prohibit sharing “synthetic, manipulated or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm.”
“Ignoring the rules of the road (because) he bought the road,” Nora Benavidez, senior counsel at the watchdog Free Press, wrote on X, referring to Musk’s apparent violation of the site’s policies.
Disinformation researchers are fearful of rampant misuse of AI technology in a major election year, thanks to proliferating online tools that are cheap and easy to use while lacking sufficient guardrails.
AI-generated content — particularly audio, which experts say is difficult to identify — sparked national alarm in January when a fake robocall posing as Biden urged New Hampshire residents not to vote in the state’s primary. “Platforms play an outsized role in election cycles,” Benavidez wrote. “They must do better.”
Moscow : Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State Council via a video conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on Tuesday, July 04, 2023.(Photo:IANS/Kremlin)
US intelligence officials have said that Russia is seeking to influence the November election…reports Asian Lite News
The Kremlin on Tuesday dismissed as absurd U.S. intelligence assertions that Russia is seeking to meddle in the presidential election and said that U.S. spies were intent on casting Russia as an enemy.
US intelligence officials have said that Russia is seeking to influence the November election, and that Moscow has used Russia-based influence-for-hire companies to shape U.S. public opinion.
“As for these accusations, they are absurd, and we strongly reject them,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the reports from Washington.
“There will be a lot of such statements as the U.S. elections approach because Russia and the head of the Russian state personally are essentially significant factors that both Republicans and Democrats exploit during their political struggle, especially in the election campaign,” said Peskov.
President Donald J. Trump listens to participants deliver remarks during the National Dialog on Safely Reopening America’s Schools event Tuesday, July 7, 2020, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)
Meanwhile, American intelligence officials have said that Russia, China and Iran are all recruiting Americans to spread propaganda advancing their interests ahead of the US presidential election.
Some US citizens have been knowingly helping foreign governments “seed, promote and add credibility to narratives that serve the foreign actors’ interests,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Monday in its latest update on election security. Others in the US have been duped into aiding the foreign actors, according to the report.
Although intelligence officials, who briefed reporters largely on condition of anonymity Monday, didn’t invoke the names of US presidential candidates, their comments made clear that they believe Russia is trying to help Republican nominee Donald Trump while Iran is seeking to undermine his candidacy.
Russian operatives, in particular, have undertaken efforts to build and use networks of US and Western “personalities” to create and disseminate Russian-friendly narratives,” according to the report.
“These actors are seeking to back a presidential candidate in addition to influencing congressional electoral outcomes, undermine public confidence in the electoral process and exacerbate sociopolitical division,” the intelligence office said. US intelligence agencies found that Russia sought to bolster Trump in 2016 and 2020.
The Harris campaign’s ad buy dwarfed the $10 million advertising buy announced by Trump’s campaign, to be launched in six battleground states this week…reports Asian Lite News
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris launched a $50 million advertising blitz on Tuesday, capitalizing on the momentum of a fledgling campaign against Republican rival Donald Trump with a one-minute spot titled “Fearless.”
It was Harris’ first big ad buy since consolidating support for the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 and endorsed her.
In addition to garnering the backing of big-money donors, Harris has sparked newfound energy among groups such as young voters that Biden had been struggling to win over.
Public opinion polls in the last week have shown Harris, 59, closing the gap with 78-year-old Trump, who still leads in some national surveys.
The ads will be rolled out on television as well as streaming and social channels across election battleground states in the weeks before the Democratic National Convention that starts on Aug. 19.
The first ad in the campaign begins with images of Harris as a little girl and follows her progression to a prosecutor, attorney general and U.S. vice president. “The one thing Kamala Harris has always been: fearless,” the ad says.
Since stepping into her new role, Harris has focused on Trump’s felony convictions in a hush-money trial involving a porn star and the other criminal charges he faces, and portrayed him as responsible for a wave of anti-abortion measures in Republican-led states around the country.
The Harris campaign’s ad buy dwarfed the $10 million advertising buy announced by Trump’s campaign on Monday, to be launched in six battleground states this week as it tries to counter a surge of voter enthusiasm and donations for Harris.
Harris campaign raises $200 million
Earlier, Kamala Harris campaign had raised $200 million. The campaign, which announced its latest fundraising total on Sunday, said the bulk of the donations — 66 per cent — came from first-time contributors in the 2024 election cycle.
Additionally, over 1,70,000 volunteers have also signed up to help the Harris campaign with phone banking, canvassing and other get-out-the-vote efforts.
“The momentum and energy for Vice President Harris is real — and so are the fundamentals of this race: this election will be very close and decided by a small number of voters in just a few states,” Michael Tyler, the campaign’s communications director, wrote in a memo.
Harris quickly coalesced Democratic support after Biden, whose candidature fizzled following his disastrous June 27 debate performance against Trump, exited the race.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were quick to announce their support.
Rushdie backs Harris
Meanwhile, Mumbai-born author Salman Rushdie has endorsed Kamala Harris’s candidacy for the US presidency and said he believes she is the person who can prevent former president Donald Trump from dragging the country towards authoritarianism.
Rushdie extended his support and endorsement of Harris during a virtual ‘South Asian Men for Harris’ event attended by scores of leading names from the Indian-American community, including prominent lawmakers, authors, policy experts, entrepreneurs and diaspora organisations.
“It’s a critical moment. I’m a boy from Bombay and it’s great to see an Indian woman running for the White House. And my wife is African-American, so we like the fact that a Black and Indian woman is running for the White House,” Rushdie said.
The 77-year-old British-American novelist also noted that ethnicity itself is not enough. “We would not be gathering in this way let’s say for Usha Vance or Nikki Haley,” he said, referring to the Indian-American wife of Republican Vice Presidential nominee J D Vance and the Indian-American former South Carolina governor.
Rushdie emphasised that the momentum is because something “very extraordinary, transformative has happened in American politics” in just under one week.
“The conversation has entirely changed with the arrival of Kamala Harris’s candidacy and it’s changed most joyfully, a way of optimism and positive, forward-thinking,” he said.
Rushdie underscored that the community has to make that work because “we can’t allow the alternative to happen”.
“This hollow man without a single noble quality, trying to drag this country towards authoritarianism. That cannot happen,” he said, referring to 78-year-old Trump, a Republican.
Rushdie voiced his confidence that Harris “is the person who can prevent it. And so I’m right in 1,000 per cent in for her.” He added that star power matters in America and one could argue that Trump’s celebrity status from being on TV for many years helped him get elected to the White House in 2016.
The death toll in the Wayanad landslide tragedy has climbed to 153 as of today morning….reports Asian Lite News
The UAE conveyed its sincere condolences and expressed its solidarity with the over the victims of landslides in the southern state of Kerala, which resulted over 150 casualties and injuries.
UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of condolence to President Droupadi Murmu of India, after the deadly tragedy.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, sent similar messages to the President of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A day after the massive landslides struck Kerala’s Wayanad, desperate scenes were witnessed with the rescue teams reaching the destroyed houses and frantically searching for missing people, even as the death toll on Wednesday reached 153, with 98 still missing.
The worst affected areas include Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil and Pothukalu. The locals from these areas, who managed to escape, are deeply shattered by the extent of the devastation.
The rescue teams from the Army, Air Force, Navy, NDRF, police, Fire Force and locals were engaged in the operations till late into Tuesday night and were back early on Wednesday.
The rescue teams are now trying to search the destroyed homes to look for survivors.
Anxious relatives are waiting in Mundakayil in front of some destroyed homes hoping that the rescue team will find some alive.
Rain continues to play spoilsport at the affected spots as the whole area is filled with a slurry, big and small boulders.
Meanwhile, the police have stopped people from travelling to Wayanad without a reason as most of the roads to the affected places are getting crowded hampering the movement of the rescue vehicles.
On Wednesday, the rescue teams are being reinforced with more trained people joining to speed up the rescue operations.
The NDRF and defence rescue teams had been able to transport more than 500 people holed up in certain areas of the affected spots by late Tuesday night
Bailey bridges and ropeways have been set up by the forces thereby speeding up the rescue efforts.
A team of five Kerala Ministers are staying put in Wayanad and coordinating the rescue operations.
PM monitoring operation
Minister of State (MoS) for Minority Affairs and Fisheries George Kurian on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is monitoring the rescue and relief operations in the Wayanad.
“I would like to assure the people of Kerala that the Modi government is committed to provide all possible assistance to the state government for the rescue of the people affected by the landslide,” said Kurian, who has been deputed by the Centre to the Wayanad to overlook the rescue operation.
Kurian said two teams of NDRF, two columns of the Army, and two IAF helicopters have been deployed for search and rescue operations.
“Three additional teams of NDRF, with search and rescue equipment, are on the way. A dog squad has also been deployed for search and rescue operations. Columns of the Madras Engineering Group (MEG) have been deployed for the construction of three Bailey bridges,” the MoS said.
He said that the two columns of the army with stores have also been airlifted from Thiruvananthapuram to Kozhikode.
“One 110-foot Bailey bridge and three search and rescue dogs have been airlifted from Delhi to Kozhikode,” the MoS said.
He added that helicopter reconnaissance of the Engineering Team to assess the damage is being done to work out further resources required to be inducted.
“Two columns from the DSC Center Kannur, Indian Navy’s ship INS Zamorin has been deployed to assist in establishing movement of rescue workers to the other side of the damaged bridge at the worst affected areas of Wayanad.” the MoS said.
Foreign envoys condole
Australian High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, condoled the lives lost in the landslides that hit the Meppadi area of Kerala’s Wayanad. Philip Green praised the brave efforts of the first responders who helped the affected people in the landslides.
Taking to X, the Australian High Commissioner stated, “Devastated at the news coming out of #Wayanad district in #Kerala. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by #landslide and the brave efforts of first responders. @CMOKerala @pinarayivijayan @AusCGChennai”
Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon offered condolences and prayers for the grieving families.
Further, he wished the injured people a speedy recovery. “Deeply saddened to hear about the the devastating landslide incident in #Wayanad, #Kerala. My deepest condolences and prayers for the grieving families. AUM shaaNtiH Wishing a speedy recovery for those injured,” he said on X.
The Ambassador of China to India, Xu Feihong has said that his thoughts are with the bereaved families. Sharing a post on X, the Chinese envoy wrote, “Deeply saddened to hear about the tragic landslides in #Wayanad, #Kerala.”
“Our thoughts and hearts are with the people there and bereaved families,” he further added.
This initiative demonstrates the urgent need for humanitarian intervention and reaffirms the UAE’s steadfast commitment to supporting the people of Gaza amidst the catastrophic situation….reports Asian Lite News
As part of its unwavering humanitarian commitment to the brotherly Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the United Arab Emirates, in partnership with World Health Organisation (WHO), has announced an urgent initiative to evacuate 85 sick and severely injured Palestinians, including cancer patients in need of extensive treatment, accompanied by 63 family members to Abu Dhabi from Ramon airport in Israel, via the Karam Abu Salem crossing.
This initiative demonstrates the urgent need for humanitarian intervention and reaffirms the UAE’s steadfast commitment to supporting the people of Gaza amidst the catastrophic situation. The UAE’s various lines of communication continue to facilitate the humanitarian efforts to assist the people of Gaza, and extend a helping hand during their time of need.
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on May 10, 2023.(Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua/IANS)
Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, said: “At this critical time, the urgency of our mission to evacuate injured Palestinians to Abu Dhabi cannot be overstated. This unprecedented route reflects the gravity of the situation and our resolute commitment to alleviating the suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip and to ensure the arrival and distribution of relief through all available means, including land, sea and air. This initiative stands as a testament to the UAE’s enduring and historic support for the Palestinian people, guided by our unwavering dedication to providing immediate relief and advancing peace in the face of immense adversity.”
She underlined that to date, the UAE has welcomed 709 patients from Gaza, along with 787 of their family members, to receive medical treatment. This follows the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, to provide care for 2,000 injured and cancer patients from Gaza.
“This significant scale-up in our efforts demonstrates our solidarity with the Palestinian people and our determination to alleviate their suffering and ensure urgent, sustainable, unhindered delivery of aid, at a wide scale and through all possible means. We remain resolute in our collaboration with international partners to ensure that our aid reaches those in desperate need,” she added.
“For his part, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, said: “We are thankful to the UAE for supporting the evacuation of sick and injured people from Gaza to receive the urgent care they need. We hope this paves the way for the establishment of evacuation corridors via all possible routes, including the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings to Egypt and Jordan, and from there to other countries. We also call for evacuations to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be restored. Thousands of sick people are suffering needlessly. Above all, and as always, WHO calls for a ceasefire.”
Notably to date, the UAE has provided over 40,000 tonnes of crucial aid, including food, relief, and medical items, through 8 aid ships, 337 flights, 50 airdrops, and 1,271 trucks. The fourth UAE relief ship arrived in Al-Arish this week, marking the eighth shipment of aid, which carried 5,340 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, and is the largest shipment since the launch of the relief operations.
