Sunak told the king that the UK’s ultimate goal is to achieve a workable two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday made a phone call to Jordan’s King Abdullah to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip, 10 Downing Street announced.
During the call, Sunak renewed the UK’s support for Jordan’s security and that of the region, saying a significant escalation is “not in anyone’s interests.”
He added that the UK’s focus remains on finding a solution to the conflict in Gaza.
The UK continues to work toward an immediate humanitarian truce to bring in much larger amounts of aid and return the Israeli hostages held by Hamas safely to their families, “leading to a longer-term sustainable ceasefire,” Sunak said.
The two leaders “discussed joint efforts to significantly step up aid to Gaza, with the UK taking part in Jordanian-led aid drops and a humanitarian land corridor to Gaza, as well as the maritime aid corridor from Cyprus,” Downing Street said.
Sunak told the king that the UK’s ultimate goal is to achieve a workable two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.
The two leaders “agreed on the importance of supporting a reformed Palestinian authority to deliver stability and prosperity across the Palestinian territories,” Downing Street said.
King Abdullah warned of the danger of regional escalation, which he said threatens international peace and security, Jordan’s official Petra news agency reported.
He renewed his call for the international community to intensify efforts to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza to alleviate the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged Palestinian territory, and warned of the dangerous consequences of an Israeli assault on Rafah.
The king stressed the need to protect civilians in Gaza and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
He pointed to the importance of continuing to support the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees to enable it to provide its humanitarian services in accordance with its UN mandate.
Other figures including UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden were highly critical of the Met but stopped short of saying Rowley should go…reports Asian Lite News
The head of London’s Metropolitan (Met) Police is facing calls to quit over the force’s handling of pro-Palestinian protests. Both the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) and former UK home secretary Suella Braverman have called for Sir Mark Rowley to resign or be sacked, accusing him of having “emboldened” antisemites.
Braverman used an op-ed in The Sunday Telegraph to demand Rowley’s resignation, saying people who were “flagrantly antisemitic” were being “waved on by the police.”
She said: “Either this is gross incompetence, or it’s a culture coming from the top, where thugs are free to intimidate and harass while the rest of us have to keep our mouths shut and stay out of the way.”
In a statement, the CAA’s chief executive, Gideon Falter, said: “Racists, extremists and terrorist sympathisers have watched the excuses and inertia of the Met under his command and been emboldened by his inaction at precisely the moment when he should be signalling a renewed determination to crack down on this criminality.
“What the Met under Sir Mark has done to the Jewish community over the course of six months is utterly unforgivable and it is time for him to go. Enough is enough.”
Other figures including UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden were highly critical of the Met but stopped short of saying Rowley should go.
Dowden told The Sunday Telegraph that the force had been “disrespecting” Jews while Lord Walney, the UK government’s adviser on political violence, accused the Met of displaying “institutional antisemitism.” Rowley said: “Every member of the Met is determined to ensure that London is a city in which everyone feels safe.
“We absolutely understand how vulnerable Jewish and Muslim Londoners feel since the terrorist attacks on Israel. Some of our actions have increased this concern. I personally reiterate our apology from earlier this week. Today, as with every other day, our officers will continue to police with courage, empathy and impartiality.”
Falter has been at the centre of a row about the policing of demonstrations after the CAA published footage of a police officer describing him as “openly Jewish” during a protest in central London on April 13.
In the clip, another officer told Falter he would be arrested if he did not leave the area because he was “causing a breach of peace with all these other people” as his presence was “antagonising.”
The Met apologised on Friday, suggesting opponents of pro-Palestinian marches “must know that their presence is provocative” and they are “increasing the likelihood of an altercation” by lining the route to object.
But the force subsequently issued another statement apologising for the “further offence” caused by its first apology.
Falter said his treatment had been “a disgrace” and “the inevitable conclusion of six months of inertia and contextualising crimes away by a Met that has curtailed the rights of law-abiding Londoners in order to appease mobs rife with anti-Jewish racists and terrorist sympathisers.”
Policing minister Chris Philp said on Saturday he was “deeply concerned” and would meet Rowley the following week to discuss the incident.
He said: “No-one should be told their religion is provocative, nor an innocent person threatened with arrest solely because of someone else’s anticipated unreasonable reaction.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly has also written to the Met and London Mayor Sadiq Khan about the incident.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We welcome the Met Police’s apology, and recognise the complexities of policing fast-moving public protests, but simply being Jewish – or of any other race or religion – should never be seen as provocative.
“Anyone of any religion should be free to go about their lives and feel safe doing so.”
A spokesperson for Khan said: “Everybody must feel safe going about in London wherever they please. The way the original incident was dealt with by the Met was concerning and the original response put out by them was insensitive and wrong. The Met have an extremely difficult job – particularly so when it comes to operational decisions taken while policing marches – but in the end the Met must have the confidence of the communities they serve and it is right that they have apologised for the way the incident was handled and their original public response.”
Buildings lie in ruin as Palestinians carry their belongings following Israeli strikes on residential buildings at the Qatari-funded Hamad City, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip December 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot
The World Health Organization has described the difficulty of bringing such equipment into Gaza even before the current war erupted following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack inside Israel…reports Asian Lite News
The UN has decried the intentional destruction of complex and hard-to-obtain medical equipment in Gaza’s beleaguered hospitals and maternity wards, further deepening risks to women already giving birth in “inhumane, unimaginable conditions.”
Recent UN-led missions to 10 Gaza hospitals found many “in ruins” and just a couple capable of providing any level of maternal health services, said Dominic Allen, the UN Population Fund or UNFPA representative for the state of Palestine.
He said that what the teams found at the Nasser Hospital complex, long besieged by Israeli forces during their operations in the southern city of Khan Younis, “breaks my heart.”
Speaking to journalists in Geneva via video link from Jerusalem, he described seeing “medical equipment purposefully broken, ultrasounds — which you will know, is a very important tool for helping ensure safe births — with cables that have been cut.”
Palestinian forensic experts inspect the body of a dead person uncovered in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on April 17, 2024 after the recent Israeli military operation there amid the ongoing fighting in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (AFP)
“Screens of complex medical equipment, like ultrasounds and others with the screens smashed,” he added.
The World Health Organization has described the difficulty of bringing such equipment into Gaza even before the current war erupted following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack inside Israel.
Allen warned that this “purposeful, wanton destruction in the maternity ward,” coupled with other damage and lacking water, sanitation, and electricity, was complicating efforts to get what was previously the second-most important hospital in the Palestinian territory up and running again “to provide a lifeline.”
Meanwhile, at Al-Khair, another specialized maternity hospital in Khan Younis, “it didn’t seem as if there was any piece of working medical equipment,” he said, lamenting that the birthing rooms “stand silent.”
“They should be places that give life, but they just have an eerie sense of death.”
Only 10 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are currently even partially functioning.
And Allen said that only three of those were now capable of assisting the estimated 180 women giving birth across Gaza every single day — around 15 percent of whom suffer complications requiring significant care.
The hospitals that can provide such care are thus facing significant capacity constraints.
The Emirati Hospital in the south, the main maternity hospital in Gaza currently, is, for instance, supporting up to 60 births every day, including as many as 12 Caesarian sections, he said.
Given the heavy pressure on the facility, women are discharged just hours after giving birth, “and after C-sections, it is less than a day,” Allen said, stressing “that increases risks.”
He said there was a risk in the number of complicated procedures linked to “malnutrition, dehydration, and fear, which impact the pregnant woman’s ability to give birth safely and carry their baby to full term safely.”
Amid a “completely crippled” health system in Gaza, the UNFPA is “deeply concerned about the ability to provide postnatal care,” he said.
He said the agency was deploying midwives and midwifery kits to makeshift school centers to help fill the gap.
The current war started after Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Oct. 7.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children. according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
14 killed in Israel’s operation on refugee camp in West Bank
Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, at least 14 people have been killed during the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) operation at the Nur al-Shams refugee camp in the West Bank, CNN reported, citing the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that they have found a number of bodies and injured people from the camp, as the IDF has partially withdrawn from the area.
Videos captured by residents show a bulldozer destroying a building as IDF vehicles leave the camp after conducting a raid for over 24 hours. Other videos showcase ambulances entering the camp after the IDF withdraws from there.
According to residents, Israeli forces have left the immediate area. However, they continue to remain present in the nearby city of Tulkarm.
Earlier on Saturday, the IDF said its forces killed 10 ‘terrorists’ and arrested eight wanted suspects during the operation that began on Thursday.
According to Palestinian health ministry and news agency Wafa, at least one child and one teenager are among those killed. It said that the IDF has arrested young people en masse and destroyed key infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health condemned two separate incidents involving emergency medical crews operating in the West Bank on Saturday.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Palestine Red Crescent Society, an ambulance driver was killed by Israeli settlers as he attempted to take injured Palestinians to safety, and another ambulance crew was detained and questioned by the IDF outside a hospital in the West Bank.
The ministry identified the driver as Mohammed Awad Allah Mohammed Musa (50). It said that Musa worked with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). Speaking to CNN, PRCS said that settlers killed him by firing on his ambulance.
In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said, “The Ministry urgently calls on international health organisations, human rights institutions, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to urgently act to curb the escalating practices of the occupation and settlers against treatment centers and medical crews and to allow them to perform their humanitarian duty.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Health called the targeting of medics, ambulances, and medical staff a “blatant and clear violation of international humanitarian law, according to CNN report.
“The targeting of medics, ambulances, treatment centres, and medical staff, obstructing their movement, and preventing them from reaching the wounded, constitutes a blatant and clear violation of international humanitarian law and international norms and treaties,” the ministry said.
On Friday, the Israeli military said that several Palestinian gunmen were killed and four soldiers were wounded during a counter-terrorism raid in the West Bank’s Nur Shams refugee camp, close to Tulkarem, The Times of Israel reported.
The IDF said its troops and Border Police officers conducted a raid at Nur Shams overnight, during which several wanted Palestinians were detained, explosive devices were discovered, and several gunmen were killed in clashes throughout the morning. (ANI)
Indian-American in House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries' team.
Final Congressional approval is expected to come later during the weekend, when the package will be sent to the Senate.
The House of Representatives approved a $95.3 billion foreign-aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and other American allies on Saturday. Lawmakers approved the package, most of which is direct military assistance, in separate votes, New York Post reported.
Final Congressional approval is expected to come later during the weekend, when the package will be sent to the Senate. US President Joe Biden has announced that he will sign it into law.
One bill provides $60.8 billion for Ukraine, with over 80 per cent of it for helping Kyiv amid its ongoing war with Russia, including replenishing supplies of US made weapons and ammunition. Around $9.5 billion of the package is in the form of a forgivable loan.
The bill was passed 311-112, with Republicans voting against it. Many Democrats celebrated the passage of the bill and waved Ukraine flags while shouting “Ukraine.” Of the 218 House Republican lawmakers, 112 voted against the bill, according to New York Post report.
US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, who supported the bill, warned that it is a “violation” of the House to wave flags on the floor.
US Representative Anna Anna Paulina Luna asked Democrats to “Put those damn flags away!” A second measure provides roughly $17 billion in direct military aid for Israel and more than USD 9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza and other war-torn regions.
The bill was passed 366-58 with dissenting members including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other “Squad” members and Representative Bob Good Freedom Caucus members, New York Post reported.
The third bill passed, 385-34, provides $8.1 billion for the Indo-Pacific region to help deter China, about half of which has been kept aside for Taiwan.
US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul urged US House lawmakers to back the foreign-aid package, saying “evil is on the march.”
Before the vote, he said, “History is calling and now is the time to act.” He added, “Our adversaries are working together to undermine our Western values and demean our democracy.”
The lawmakers approval of the package came a day after a bipartisan coalition led by US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson voted 316-94 to clear a key procedural measure so it could be considered on the floor.
Most of the Republican lawmakers in the House supported Mike Johnson’s plans, despite threats by Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and other far-right lawmakers to oust him as speaker if he went ahead with the Ukraine aid bill instead of prioritising US border security as record-breaking numbers of migrants illegally enter the US and impact public funds.
The three amendments to the Ukraine bill, including one by Marjorie Taylor Greene reducing “every dollar amount in the bill to zero”, were all rejected on Saturday, New York Post reported.
A new border bill, introduced by Representative Juan Ciscomani, would have raised penalties for gun and drug-related offences committed in matters related to illegal immigration. However, it failed to clear the two-thirds supermajority that is required to pass the bill.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had placed pressure on Johnson to support a USD 95 billion bill approved by the Senate in February. That legislation provides all funding in a single bill. House Republicans have made several additions in the package, which are expected to be get Senate approval. (ANI)
Gaza, designated as Occupied Palestinian Territory, holds significant importance in the establishment of a future Palestinian state…reports Asian Lite News
UK Ambassador to UN Barbara Woodward emphasised the urgency of addressing the immediate crisis in Gaza as a crucial step towards progress in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The United Kingdom reiterated its unwavering commitment to advancing towards a two-state solution, fostering a scenario where a secure Israel coexists harmoniously with a sovereign, viable Palestinian state.
In a recent UN Security Council meeting, Ambassador Woodward underscored the importance of offering the people of the West Bank and Gaza a credible path towards a Palestinian state and a promising future, stressing the necessity for irreversible measures. While acknowledging that the recognition of Palestinian statehood is pivotal, the UK emphasized that such recognition should not mark the beginning nor the end of the peace process but rather be integrated into the broader framework of progress.
Gaza, designated as Occupied Palestinian Territory, holds significant importance in the establishment of a future Palestinian state. However, challenges persist as Hamas maintains control over parts of Gaza, and Israeli hostages remain in captivity, indicating that the journey towards lasting peace is still at its nascent stage.
The UK asserted that ensuring Hamas relinquishes control over Gaza and dismantling its capacity to launch attacks against Israel are indispensable steps towards achieving sustainable peace. Additionally, collaborating to bolster the new Palestinian government’s efforts in implementing reforms and resuming governance in both Gaza and the West Bank is deemed crucial.
The UK’s abstention on the resolution underscores the imperative of focusing efforts on securing an immediate pause to facilitate aid delivery and hostage release. The aim is to pave the way for progress towards a sustainable ceasefire, averting further destruction, conflict, and loss of life.
Highlighting diplomatic efforts, the UK revealed that its Foreign Secretary recently visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to extend support towards these objectives. The UK affirmed its commitment to urgently fostering peace and catalyzing a political process aimed at achieving a two-state solution that ensures justice and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
The women who have survived Israeli bombardment and ground operations have been displaced, widowed, and facing starvation. …reports Asian Lite news
Six months into the war, 10,000 Palestinian women in Gaza have been killed, among them an estimated 6,000 mothers, leaving 19,000 children orphaned, a report by the UN Women said on Tuesday.
The women who have survived Israeli bombardment and ground operations have been displaced, widowed, and facing starvation. This devastating differentiated impact continues to make the war on Gaza also a war on women.
The series of gender alerts produced by UN Women on Gaza provides a detailed analysis of the reality of women’s and girls’ lives in the Gaza Strip, documenting abhorrent living conditions.
The publication titled, Scarcity and Fear, focuses on the lack of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services are vital to women’s health, dignity, safety, and privacy.
More than one million Palestinian women and girls in Gaza are facing catastrophic hunger, with almost no access to food, safe drinking water, functioning toilets or running water, creating life-threatening risks.
Access to clean water is especially critical for breastfeeding mothers and pregnant women, who have higher daily water and caloric intake requirements. It is also essential for the ability of women and girls to manage their menstrual hygiene with dignity and safety.
UN Women estimates that 10 million disposable menstrual pads or four million reusable sanitary pads are required each month to cover the needs of 690,000 women and girls in Gaza.
“In Gaza, we (women) cannot meet our simplest and most basic needs: eating well, drinking safe water, accessing a toilet, having (sanitary) pads, taking a shower,…changing our clothes…” said a Gazan woman.
“More than 10,000 women have been killed so far, of which an estimated six thousand are mothers. Women who have survived the bombing are suffering daily starvation, sickness, and constant fear. The war in Gaza is no doubt a war on women, who are paying a heavy price for a war not of their making,” said Susanne Mikhail, Regional Director of UN Women in the Arab States in a media briefing in Geneva.
Only peace can end this suffering. UN Women joins the calls for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolution 2728 (2024) adopted on March 25, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and safe and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid.
UN Women is working with Palestinian women’s organisations, and partners within the humanitarian systems and spaces to advocate for the rights and needs of women and girls, and to deliver urgently needed assistance.
In Gaza, UN Women has reached almost 100,000 women and their families with food, blankets, winter clothes, soap, diapers, and sanitary kits. Tens of thousands more items have been at the border crossings for weeks. This is only a fraction of what women and girls in Gaza need.
As set out in the Agreed Conclusions of the recently held Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), women and girls must be at the heart of the collective humanitarian response.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.(photo:Twitter)
The attack was the latest in a cycle of violence wracking the Middle East….writes Arul Louis
The United Nations Security Council is to meet in an emergency session on Sunday to consider Iran’s fusillade of drones and missiles attacking Israel, which Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned as an escalation of the Middle East crisis.
Within minutes of the Iranian attacks on Saturday, Israel asked Council President Vanessa Frazier of Malta to convene the meeting.
Warning that “neither the region nor the world can afford another war”, Guterres said, “I strongly condemn the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran this evening.”
“I am deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation. I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East,” he said.
The attack was the latest in a cycle of violence wracking the Middle East.
Iran said the attack was in retaliation for Israel’s April 1 attack on its diplomatic mission in Syria which killed two of its generals.
Israel said that Iran launched about 200 missiles and drones on Saturday and most of them had been shot down and there were no major damages.
The attacks and counterattacks took place while Israel was carrying out an unprecedented military action on the occupied Gaza Strip, hitting civilians and military targets, in retaliation for an attack from there on Israel by Hamas which has ties to Iran.
There have also been skirmishes on the northern border between Israel and Hezbollah, another organisation with Tehran ties.
In a letter to Guterres and Frazier, Iran’s Permanent Representative Amir Saed Iravani said that in launching the attacks his country was invoking its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter and warned of “stronger and more resolute” retaliation should Israel take further action.
But in a post on X social media, Iran’s UN mission also said, “The matter can be deemed concluded.”
General Assembly President Dennis Francis expressed concern over the danger of tensions escalating in the region and said, “I expect that the Iranian authorities will honour their word that by their action today, the matter can be deemed concluded.”
He noted that “the Iranians have explained their action in the context of article 51 of the UN Charter, following the recent Israeli attack on the Iranian Embassy in Damascus”.
In his letter to the Council president asking for the meeting, Israel’s Permanent Representative Gilad Erdan called for it to “unequivocally condemn Iran for these grave violations” and designate Tehran’s main military outfit, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a terrorist organisation.
Any attempts by the Council to act on the attacks would be short-circuited by the polarisation in the body.
Just as it could not act on Israel’s attack on an Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria in contravention of international law because of US veto threats, Russia and China would make a stand on Tehran’s retaliation unlikely.
Guterres had also condemned the Israeli attack “on diplomatic premises of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Damascus” on April 1, as well as the reported casualties” and repeatedly called for restraint.
He said that “the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases in accordance with international law”.
McGoldrick said that communication with the Israeli military was hampering the flow of aid into Gaza…reports Asian Lite News
Northern Gaza faces a catastrophe without more assistance, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator said on Friday, with communication between the Israeli military and foreign aid groups still poor and no meaningful improvements happening on the ground.
Jamie McGoldrick, who works for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, warned that Gaza was sliding into an ever more precarious situation as Israel’s war against Hamas continues into a sixth month.
He said that according to an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report 70 percent of people in the north of the Gaza Strip were “in real danger of slipping into famine.”
In a briefing on the situation, McGoldrick said the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers earlier this month were “not a one off” and that there had been “many incidents of that kind.”
“We work with, interact with, the Israeli Defense Forces and the way we notify and communicate is challenging. We don’t have communications equipment inside Gaza to operate properly, as you would have in … other situation(s),” he said.
“We are working in a very hostile area as humanitarians without the possibility of contacting each other. We don’t have radios, we don’t have mobile networks that work. And so, what we then do is we have to find ways of passing messages back to OCHA and other organizations in Rafah and then relaying out. And if we have a serious security incident, we don’t have a hotline, we don’t have any way of communicating (with) the IDF or facing problems at checkpoint or facing problems en route.
“I think that another thing, I would say, that there’s a real challenge of weapons discipline and the challenge of the behavior of (Israeli) soldiers at checkpoints. And we’ve tried, time and time again, to bring that (to their) attention.”
McGoldrick said that communication with the Israeli military was hampering the flow of aid into Gaza.
“Israel believes that their responsibility ends when they deliver trucks from Kerem Shalom and to the Palestinian side, and I would say that that’s certainly not the case,” he said.
“Their responsibility ends when the aid reaches the civilians in Gaza — we have to have them supportive of that. And that means allowing more facilitation, a lot more routes in and, obviously, to provide security for us as we move. At the moment, we don’t have security.”
He said the toll the war had taken on Gaza’s basic infrastructure was also playing a part in hampering aid deliveries.
“The roads themselves are in very poor condition. We are, as the UN, committed to using all possible routes to scale up humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza, but right now we see that there have been a number of commitments made by Israel and a number of concessions,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s been any notable improvement in terms of our ability to move around, certainly not our approval to get convoys going to the north.”
Opening more crossings to supply northern areas of Gaza was an essential step if famine was to be avoided in the area, McGoldrick said.
“All we can do is keep reminding (Israel) and using the pressure from key (UN) member states to remind Israel of the commitments they’ve made and the commitments that we’ve been asking for such a long time.
“That would be an essential lifeline into the north, because that’s where the population, according to the IPC — the recent famine report — that is where the bulk of people who are the most in danger of slipping into famine.
“If we don’t have the chance to expand the delivery of aid into all parts of Gaza, but in particular to the north, then we’re going to face a catastrophe. And the people up there are living such a fragile and precarious existence.”
McGoldrick also noted the difficulty in accessing fresh water and the devastation caused to Gaza’s health sector by Israel’s military campaign.
“People have very much less water than they need. And as a result of that, waterborne diseases due to the lack of safe and clean water and the destruction of the sanitation systems, you know, they’re all bringing about problems for the population living (there),” he said.
“The hospital system there, Al-Shifa, and Nasser, the two big hospitals have been badly damaged or destroyed. And what we have now is three-quarters of the hospitals and most of the primary healthcare clinics are shutting down, leaving only 10 of 36 hospitals functioning.
“We hear of amputations being carried out with(out) anesthesia. You know, miscarriages have increased by a massive number. And I think of all those systems which are not in place, (and) at the soaring rates of infectious diseases — you know, hepatitis C, dehydration, infections and diarrhea. And obviously, given the fact that our supply chain is so weak, we haven’t been able to deliver enough assistance.”
On his message to Iran at this time, the US President said, “Don’t.”
Amid fears of the ongoing hostilities in Gaza devolving into a larger Middle-Eastern conflict, US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expects Iran to attack Israel ‘sooner than later’, CNN reported.
“I don’t want to get into secure information but my expectation is sooner than later,” Biden told reporters when asked how imminent an Iranian attack on Israel would be.
As has been reported globally, Tehran vowed revenge after Israel launched airstrikes on the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, taking out three top military generals.
On his message to Iran at this time, the US President said, “Don’t.”
In response to more shouted questions from reporters in the White House, asking if American troops were at risk, Biden returned to the podium saying that the United States was ‘devoted’ to the defence of Israel, CNN reported.
“We are devoted to the defence of Israel. We will support Israel we will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” Biden said.
The US has been on high alert for a significant Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel in recent days, as fears grow of a wider regional war.
There remains a “real, credible and viable” threat of Iran launching strikes, the White House said on Friday, following Israel’s attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria last week, killing three Iranian generals.
Biden, who warned this week that Iran was threatening a ‘significant attack’ on Israel, has been receiving constant updates on the situation from his national security team.
The US and several other countries, including India, Britain and France, issued new travel guidelines for government employees in Israel as the Iranian threat loomed.
“In view of the prevailing situation in the region, all Indians are advised not to travel to Iran or Israel till further notice. All those who are currently residing in Iran or Israel are requested to get in touch with Indian Embassies there and register themselves,” the Ministry of External Affairs stated in an official release.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) holds a meeting with Nadav Argaman (R), head of the Israeli General Security Service (GSS) commonly known as Shin Bet, at the HaKirya complex. (Photo: Koby Gideon/GPO/dpa/IANS)
“We’re watching this very, very closely,” said John Kirby, the US National Security Council spokesman, who declined to provide information about the expected timing of the threat.
The US will attempt to intercept any weapons launched towards Israel, if it’s feasible to do so, two officials in Washington told CNN, an indication of the level of ongoing cooperation between the two militaries.
US Navy personnel in the Red Sea previously intercepted long-range missiles launched from the Houthis in Yemen towards Israel. US forces in Iraq and Syria could also potentially intercept drones and rockets targeting northern Israel, depending on the location from which they’re launched, CNN reported.
The US Defence Department was also moving additional assets to the Middle East “to bolster regional deterrence efforts and increase force protection for US forces”, a US defence official told CNN, as Israel and the US braced for a potential Iranian attack.
The Pentagon has been working specifically to bolster air defences for the US troops stationed in Iraq and Syria, who came under attack by Iran-backed proxy forces over 100 times between October and February, CNN reported.
In January, three US servicemembers were killed when a drone got through US air defences at the Tower 22 base in Jordan.
The US is not anticipating that Iran or its proxies will attack US forces as part of its retaliation but is moving assets just in case.
“It would be imprudent if we didn’t take a look at our posture in the region to make sure that we’re properly prepared,” Kirby said.
CNN reported last week that the US was on high alert and actively preparing for an attack by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region. Officials said such an attack could come within the week. (ANI)
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel on April 11, 2021. (Gideon Markowicz/JINI via Xinhua/IANS)
Both officials insisted that Israel must guarantee long-term improvements to the humanitarian situation in the enclave…reports Asian Lite News
Rejecting accusations that Israel carried out a genocide in Gaza, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said there was no ‘evidence’ of it.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticised the international community for failing to hold Hamas accountable, while US Defence Secretary Austin denied claims that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, according to The Times of Israel.
Both officials insisted that Israel must guarantee long-term improvements to the humanitarian situation in the enclave.
“We don’t have any evidence of genocide being created,” Austin said in testimony before the US Senate Armed Services Committee regarding US President Joe Biden’s latest budget request, The Times of Israel reported.
Austin’s statement came a day after Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren shared a video on her social media handle, asserting that the International Court of Justice should find Israel guilty of genocide because there was ‘ample evidence’.
Austin referred to the horrors carried out by Hamas on October 7 as a ‘war crime’ but refrained from calling them a genocide at the hearing on Tuesday.
Austin made these remarks during a session that was often disrupted by far-left protesters yelling at him to cease supplying Israel with arms, The Times of Israel reported.
They raised their hands, stained in red, in the air and yelled, “Stop the genocide.”
Several senators expressed their outrage at the civilian deaths and insisted that more was needed to be done by the administration to put pressure on Israel to save the Gaza population.
Six months have elapsed since Hamas launched a brutal onslaught on Israel, resulting in widespread devastation and loss of life. Despite the passage of time, 134 hostages remain in Hamas’ captivity, their fate hanging in the balance amidst ongoing efforts to secure their release.
The Israel Defence Forces have withdrawn all ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip after a four-month fight in the Khan Younis area, The Times of Israel reported.
As the country marked six months of war against Hamas, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) published new data on its operations in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Lebanon, highlighting everything from the number of terror operatives killed to the number of sites struck.
According to the data, more than 13,000 Hamas operatives and members of other terror groups have been killed by the IDF in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war, in addition to some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7, when gunmen rampaged through southern communities, massacring some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 253 to Gaza.
The data presented by the IDF further stated that the military has killed five Hamas brigade commanders and those of an equivalent rank, as well as more than 20 battalion commanders.
Since October 7, in the West Bank, the IDF said the troops have arrested more than 3,700 Palestinians, including more than 1,600 affiliated with Hamas. (ANI)
