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Harris shuts down pro-Palestine protestors at rally

Vice President Kamala Harris said that she is committed to “a path forward that can lead to a two-state solution…reports Asian Lite News

Vice President Kamala Harris shut down pro-Palestine protestors who interrupted her speech at a rally in Detroit. Demonstrators in the crowd repeatedly shouted out, “Kamala, Kamala you can’t hide, we won’t vote for genocide.” The crowd at the Detroit airplane hangar, however, booed and drowned out the protesters with chants of “Kamala.”

“I’m here because we believe in democracy. Everyone’s voice matters, but I am speaking now. I am speaking now,” Harris said. When the protestors did not relent, she said, “You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”

Harris after a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel last month had stated that she would “always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself, including from Iran and Iran-backed militias, such as Hamas and Hezbollah.”

“I’ve said it many times but it bears repeating, Israel has a right to defend itself, but how it does so matters,” Harris said after the meeting with Netanyahu.

She also said that she is committed to “a path forward that can lead to a two-state solution.”

According to an analysis by the Hill, Michigan is home to a particularly high Arab American population, especially in the Detroit suburbs. Some Democrats have worried that the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Gaza could cost them votes in November.

Meanwhile, Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz traveled Wednesday to Wisconsin and Michigan.

At the Detroit rally, head of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Shawn Fain tore into former US President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and rallied support for Harris in front “of a crowd of thousands.”

Union workers could play a key role in Michigan, the home of the US auto industry. Michigan broke from decades of steady Democratic support to elect Trump in 2016 before Biden flipped the state back in 2020.

Biden not confident of peaceful transfer of power if Trump loses

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he is not confident about a peaceful transfer of power if Republican Donald Trump loses the upcoming presidential election.

In a recent interview with US-based media house CBS News, the first after announcing his withdrawal from the Presidential race, Biden expressed doubts about a peaceful transfer of power and said, “If Trump loses, I’m not confident at all.”

The interview was conducted in the White House and will be aired on August 11. The two spoke about Biden’s decision to withdraw his candidature, his outlook on the country, his reflections on American democracy, and much more.

Biden said that he is not confident about a peaceful transfer of power if Trump loses, as a rhetoric on the former President’s comment that the only way he would lose is if “the election is stolen from him”, CBS News reported.

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County in New York bans wearing masks at Gaza protests

The bill was approved late on Monday, with all 12 Republicans in the county legislature voting in its favor while the seven Democrats abstained….reports Asian Lite News

New York’s suburban Nassau County has passed a bill to ban wearing of masks with aim to hide the identity of pro-Palestinian protesters against US support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

The ban on mask would cover any sort of public protest, but lawmakers in the Republican-controlled county say the bill aims to prevent protesters who engage in alleged violence and antisemitism from hiding their identity and avoiding accountability. Civil rights advocates saw the step as an infringement on free speech rights.

The bill was approved late on Monday, with all 12 Republicans in the county legislature voting in its favor while the seven Democrats abstained.

The bill makes wearing a facial covering to hide identity in public a misdemeanor that can be punished with up to one year in prison and a $1,000 penalty. It makes exemptions for health or medical reasons as well as for “religious and cultural purposes.”

“Unless someone has a medical condition or a religious imperative, people should not be allowed to cover their face in a manner that hides their identity when in public,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, said about the bill that he is expected to sign.

The New York Civil Liberties Union said the bill was an attack on free speech.

“Masks protect people who express political opinions that are unpopular. Making anonymous protest illegal chills political action and is ripe for selective enforcement,” Susan Gottehrer, the Nassau County regional director of NYCLU, said.

Gottehrer added that the mask ban’s exceptions were inadequate: “Nassau County police offers are not health professionals or religious experts capable of deciding who needs a mask and who doesn’t.”

The US, Israel’s key ally, has seen months of protests, including in New York, against Israel’s war in Gaza that has killed nearly 40,000 according to the local health ministry, caused a hunger crisis, displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million. It also has led to genocide allegations that Israel denies.

The latest bloodshed in the decades old Israeli-Palestinian conflict began when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and taking around 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

The US has also seen a rise in anti-Muslim incidents, anti-Palestinian bias and antisemitism amid the war and its resulting protests and counter-protests.

ALSO READ: Harris, Walz attack Trump in first rally

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Aid Flow Resumes at Gaza Pier, US Confirms

The temporary harbour had been damaged in rough seas at the end of May, just a few days after its completion….reports Asian Lite Nws

The US military said that the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid for Gaza residents has resumed after a temporary pier on the territory’s coast was repaired.

The temporary harbour had been damaged in rough seas at the end of May, just a few days after its completion. Due to strong waves, four US military ships anchored in the area broke free from their moorings.

The regional command Centcom on Saturday said in a statement that at about 10:30 am local time (0730 GMT), it “began delivery of humanitarian assistance ashore in Gaza.”

“Today, a total of approximately 492 metric tonnes (1.1 million pounds) of much-needed humanitarian assistance was delivered to the people of Gaza. To date, USCENTCOM has assisted in the delivery of more than 1,573 metric tonnes (3.5 million pounds) of humanitarian aid,” the statement continued.

The regional command stressed that “no US military personnel went ashore in Gaza.”

“This ongoing effort in support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to deliver additional aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza is entirely humanitarian in nature and involves aid commodities donated by several countries and humanitarian organisations,” Centcom said.

Under the provisional arrangement, freighters will initially bring aid supplies from Cyprus to a floating platform a few kilometres off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

The goods are then loaded onto smaller ships that can sail closer to the coast. These then dock at the temporary pier attached to the coast. There, the supplies are received by aid organisations and then distributed in the Gaza Strip by lorry.

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Israeli Bombing Kills 35 at Gaza School

An Israeli fighter jet bombed at least three classrooms with several missiles…reports Asian Lite News

At least 35 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others injured in an Israeli air strike targeting a school housing displaced people in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, the media reported on Thursday.

An Israeli fighter jet bombed at least three classrooms with several missiles, medical sources told Xinhua news agency.

Hamas-run media office in Gaza condemned Israel’s attack on the school as a “terrible massacre” in a statement, calling it “clear evidence of the crime of genocide committed against civilians”.

The office said that Israel and the US “should bear full responsibility for these crimes that endanger humanity and violate international law”, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel Defense Forces attacked a Hamas compound inside a school in the Nuseirat area during Wednesday night, eliminating many saboteurs who participated in an attack on October 7, 2023, said Avichay Adraee, Israeli military spokesperson, in a statement on Thursday.

ALSO READ: Hamas demands full end to Gaza war

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UAE FM meets UN’s Gaza humanitarian coordinator

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed emphasised that the UAE is making every effort to assist the Palestinian people, offering aid by land, sea, and air….reports Asian Lite News

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Sigrid Kaag, United Nations Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, in Abu Dhabi.

The two sides discussed developments in the Middle East, mechanisms to enhance the response to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, and ways to provide sustainable support to civilians in the Strip.

During the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed emphasised that the UAE is making every effort to assist the Palestinian people, offering aid by land, sea, and air.

He reiterated the UAE’s support for the efforts of the United Nations and Sigrid Kaag in alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people and addressing the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed noted that the current dangerous conditions in the Middle East undermine efforts to enhance the humanitarian response, stressing the importance of the international community’s combined efforts to end extremism, tension, and escalating violence.

He called for a sustainable ceasefire and the establishment of safe and sustainable channels to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip without obstacles.

The meeting was attended by Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs.

ALSO READ: UAE FM pays tribute to Raisi in Tehran

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Intense Fighting Halts Gaza Aid, Says UN

Shortly after its reopening on May 8, militants fired eight rockets from southern Gaza’s Rafah toward the Kerem Shalom crossing area in Israel….reports Asian Lite News

The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said that distributing humanitarian aid “is almost impossible” in Gaza, due to the irregular fuel supply and interrupted communications amid the ongoing intense war between Israel and Hamas.

OCHA in a statement posted on social media platform X on Thursday said that key crossings for aid into Gaza have been closed for several days and now the access to the Palestinian enclave is neither safe nor logistically feasible.

On May 5, Israel closed the only commercial crossing of Kerem Shalom with Gaza, in response to a Hamas rocket attack on an Israeli military point nearby that killed four soldiers.

Shortly after its reopening on May 8, militants fired eight rockets from southern Gaza’s Rafah toward the Kerem Shalom crossing area in Israel.

The attack came after the Israeli army announced on May 7 “operational control” of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing, which in effect closed this crucial entry point for truckloads of aid from Egypt into Gaza.

OCHA and other humanitarian organizations warned of the devastating impact of the crossings’ closure on over 2 million Palestinians in war-stricken Gaza, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Thursday, the Jordan Armed Forces said it conducted three airdrops of humanitarian aid over various locations in southern Gaza.

The move was part of Jordan’s commitment to assisting Gazans to overcome the difficult conditions, said the army without detailing further.

Earlier in the day, local sources and eyewitnesses in Gaza told Xinhua that aircraft were seen flying over and dropping food aid through parachutes in Al-Mawasi, an open area along the enclave’s southwestern coast that is now flocked with residents coming at the Israeli army’s evacuation order.

This is the first eyewitness report of an aid drop operation in Rafah since the Israeli army’s renewed attacks on the southernmost Gazan city last week.

ALSO READ: UN Hears Plea from Families of Hamas Hostages

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Emirati Field Hospital continues to provide services in Gaza

Dr. Kaabi affirmed that the field hospital has provided care to 20,686 patients and has performed more than 1,752 surgeries….reports Asian Lite News

The Emirati Field Hospital in the Gaza Strip remains steadfast in delivering vital medical services to the residents despite the current significant challenges.

Dr. Sultan Al Kaabi, Hospital Director, highlighted Gaza’s critical medical situation, which is facing a severe shortage of supplies and equipment as several hospitals are out of service.

Despite these obstacles, Dr. Kaabi affirmed that the field hospital has provided care to 20,686 patients and has performed more than 1,752 surgeries.

Established under “Operation Chivalrous Knight 3”, the field hospital prioritises serving the most vulnerable, including children, women, and those with chronic diseases.

Furthermore, Dr. Kaabi emphasised the ongoing collaboration with officials of Gaza’s medical sector to ensure continued support and provide essential medical care to those in need.

UN staffer killed in Rafah

Israel army’s gunfire killed a UN staffer, an Indian, and injured another UN employee in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza, the Hamas-run media office said.

In a statement, the media office said on Monday that the UN staffers were travelling in a vehicle belonging to the UN and bearing UN flags and markings when they were hit, Xinhua news agency reported.

The death of the UN staffer was confirmed by the United Nations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday in a statement that he was “deeply saddened to learn of the death of a United Nations Department of Safety and Security (DSS) staff member and injury to another DSS staffer when their UN vehicle was struck as they travelled to the European Hospital in Rafah this morning”.

Sending his condolences to the family of the fallen UN staffer, he condemned all attacks on UN personnel and called for a full investigation.

Meanwhile, Israeli public radio reported that the Israeli army is investigating the shooting incident at a United Nations vehicle, indicating that the source of the fire is unknown.

The Israeli army said in a statement that its forces continue their operations in three towns in the strip, including Rafah, Jabalia and Zeitoun, to stop Hamas from “reorganising its ranks”.

The health authorities in Gaza reported 57 deaths and 82 injuries in the besieged enclave on Monday, bringing the total death toll and injuries since the break of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, respectively, to 35,901 and 78,827.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

ALSO READ: Indian UN Employee First Foreign Victim in Gaza Conflict

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Indian UN Employee First Foreign Victim in Gaza Conflict

The victim was identified as Col. Waibhav Anil Kale, who had started working a month ago as a security coordinator for the UN in Gaza…reports Arul Louis

An Indian working for the United Nations in Gaza has become the first non-Palestinian staffer to be killed during the current Gaza conflict when his vehicle was attacked on its way to a hospital in Rafah.

The victim was identified as Col. Waibhav Anil Kale, who had started working a month ago as a security coordinator for the UN in Gaza, according to The Washington Post, which quoted unnamed informed sources.

Kale, who worked for the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) joins the roster of more than 200 Indians who have died in the service of the UN.

The majority of them – 179 – are peacekeepers but many other Indian civilians, who like employees of the DSS are not peacekeepers, have died working for the UN in various capacities in trouble spots.

Earlier, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s Spokesperson Farhan Haq, who announced the death, did not identify him pending notification to his family and government.

Haq said that Guterres condemned the attack and called for a full investigation.

Another UN employee was injured in the Monday attack, he said.

The blame for the attack has not been fixed because the situation remains murky in Rafah.

Haq did not say who carried out the attack.

Al Jazeera broadcast clips showing windows with bullet holes on the attacked vehicle flying UN flags and bearing large UN markings.

From the nature of the damage, it did not appear to have been an air or heavy artillery attack.

He said that Monday’s victim was the first international employee of the UN killed in Gaza since October 7, although 188 Palestinian employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN arm for humanitarian services for Palestinians, have been killed.

“We will be working with the authorities on the ground to get restitution for all of those who have been killed,” Haq declared.

The Post said that according to its sources, Kale was a 46-year-old father of two teenage children.

Other media reports said that he had earlier worked for the Indian Army.

Israel Defense Forces said that according to an initial inquiry, Monday’s attack happened in an active combat zone and that it was not made aware of the vehicle’s movement.

Haq said that the DSS staffers were in the vehicle with clear UN markings that was in a convoy engaged in “their regular work [for which] they go to different locations to assess security conditions. And this was the European Hospital in Rafah”.

Asked what the UN was doing to seek justice for the UN employees killed in the conflict, Haq said, “In all cases, we are going to set up measures for accountability”.

“A lot of that, as you know, requires ultimately for an end to the conflict so that we can work these out,” he said.

Guterres reiterated his call for a humanitarian ceasefire and the release of the hostages taken by Hamas, which sparked the conflict with an attack on Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed and 128 were kidnapped.

Israel’s retaliation on Gaza, from where Hamas launched the attack, has killed about 34,000 Palestinians, most of them women, children or the aged.

Last month, four foreigners and three Palestinians working for a non-profit organisation, were killed in Gaza.

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German FM Calls for Gaza Aid, Two-State Solution

Baerbock took part in a meeting of Arab and European foreign ministers in Riyadh, initiated by Saudi Arabia and Norway…reports Asian Lite News

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has spoken out in favour of more humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip and a two-state solution, during the talks with counterparts from Western and Arab countries in Riyadh.

During the talks, Baerbock emphasised that an independent Palestine state as a part of a comprehensive peace process and a two-state solution remains a clear goal of German policy, according to reports from German delegation circles on Monday evening.

Baerbock took part in a meeting of Arab and European foreign ministers in Riyadh, initiated by Saudi Arabia and Norway, at which the prospect of a two-state solution and the recognition of Palestine was on the agenda.

A two-state solution foresees the peaceful co-existence of Israel and a Palestinian state based on the borders of the Palestinian Territories occupied by Israel since 1967 – the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

However, Israel’s government rejects such a two-state solution outright, whereas, the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas has said it wants an independent Palestinian state but will not officially recognise the state of Israel.

Baerbock also made it clear “that there is now an urgent need for improved humanitarian access to Gaza and the release of the hostages,” it was reported after the talks.

She also held confidential talks with Arab and Western colleagues in Riyadh on the specific steps needed to end the fighting and find a sustainable solution to the conflict.

The ministers, including Baerbock’s US counterpart Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, met in Riyadh on the fringes of a two-day World Economic Forum (WEF) conference. Israel did not take part in the talks.

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Gaza Death Toll Climbs to 30,960

During the last 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 82 Palestinians and wounded 122 others…reports Asian Lite News

 The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 30,960 with 72,524 others wounded, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement.

During the last 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 82 Palestinians and wounded 122 others, it added on Saturday.

The statement noted that some victims remained under the rubble amid heavy bombardment and a lack of civil defence and ambulance crews, Xinhua news agency reported.

Dozens of Palestinians, the majority of whom are children and women, were killed and others injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted multiple areas across the Gaza Strip since Friday night, Palestine’s official news agency WAFA reported.

The report said at least 23 people were killed in intense airstrikes that targeted a number of houses in the southern Gaza Strip cities of Khan Younis and Rafah.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 taken hostage.

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