A Father Mourns 2 Sons Killed in an Israeli Strike as Hunger Worsens in Gaza
The strike outside the clinic on Thursday in the central city of Deir al-Balah killed 14 people, including nine children, according to a local hospital, which had initially reported 10 children killed but later said one had died in a separate incident.
The Israeli military said it targeted a gunman it said had taken part in the Hamas attack that ignited the 21-month war. Security camera footage appeared to show two young men targeted as they walked past the clinic where several people were squatting outside.
Hatem Al-Nouri's four-year-old son, Amir, was killed immediately. His eight-year-old son, Omar, was still breathing when he reached the hospital but died shortly thereafter. He said that at first he didn't recognize his third son, two-year-old Siraj, because his eye had been torn out.
'What did these children do to deserve this?' the father said as he broke into tears. 'They were dreaming of having a loaf of bread.'
Violence in the West Bank
In a separate development, Israeli settlers killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. It said Seifeddin Musalat, 23, was beaten to death and Mohammed al-Shalabi, 23, was shot in the chest in the village of Sinjil near the city of Ramallah. Both were 23.
The military said Palestinians had hurled rocks at Israelis in the area earlier on Friday, lightly wounding two people. That set off a larger confrontation that included 'vandalism of Palestinian property, arson, physical clashes, and rock hurling,' the army said. It said troops had dispersed the crowds, without saying if anyone was arrested.
Palestinians and rights groups have long accused the military of ignoring settler violence, which has spiked — along with Palestinian attacks and Israeli military raids — since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
'Sharp and unprecedented' rise in malnutrition
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in recent weeks while trying to get food, according to local health officials. Experts say hunger is widespread among the territory's 2 million Palestinians and that Israel's blockade and military offensive have put them at risk of famine.
The deputy director of the World Food Program said Friday that humanitarian needs and constraints on the UN's ability to provide aid are worse than he's ever seen, saying 'starvation is spreading' and one in three people are going for days without eating.
Carl Skau told UN reporters in New York that on a visit to Gaza last week he didn't see any markets, only small amounts of potatoes being sold on a few street corners in Gaza City. He was told that a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of flour now costs over $25.
The international aid group Doctors Without Borders said it has recorded a 'sharp and unprecedented rise" in acute malnutrition at two clinics it operates in Gaza, with more than 700 pregnant and breastfeeding women, and nearly 500 children, receiving outpatient therapeutic food.
'Our neonatal intensive care unit is severely overcrowded, with four to five babies sharing a single incubator," Dr. Joanne Perry, a physician with the group, said in a statement. 'This is my third time in Gaza, and I've never seen anything like this. Mothers are asking me for food for their children, pregnant women who are six months along often weigh no more than 40 kilograms (88 pounds).'
The Israeli military body in charge of civilian affairs in Gaza says it is allowing enough food to enter and blames the UN and other aid groups for not promptly distributing it.
Risking their lives for food
Israel ended a ceasefire and renewed its offensive in March. It eased a 2 1/2 month blockade in May, but the UN and aid groups say they are struggling to distribute humanitarian aid because of Israeli military restrictions and a breakdown of law and order that has led to widespread looting.
A separate aid mechanism built around an American group backed by Israel has Palestinians running a deadly gantlet to reach its sites. Witnesses and health officials say hundreds have been killed by Israeli fire while heading toward the distribution points through military zones off limits to independent media.
The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at Palestinians who it says approached its forces in a suspicious manner.
The Israeli- and US-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation denies there has been any violence in or around its sites. But two of its contractors told The Associated Press that their colleagues have fired live ammunition and stun grenades as Palestinians scramble for food, allegations denied by the foundation.
The UN Human Rights Office said Thursday that it has recorded 798 killings near Gaza aid sites in a little over a month leading up to July 7. Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the office, said 615 were killed 'in the vicinity of the GHF sites" and the remainder on convoy routes used by other aid groups.
A GHF spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the group's policies, rejected the 'false and misleading stats," saying most of the deaths were linked to shootings near UN convoys, which pass by Israeli army positions and have been attacked by armed gangs and unloaded by crowds.
Israel has long accused UN bodies of being biased against it.
No ceasefire after two days of Trump-Netanyahu talks
Hamas-led fighters killed some 1,200 people in their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and abducted 251. They still hold 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel's offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which is under Gaza's Hamas-run government, doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.
US President Donald Trump has said he is closing in on another ceasefire agreement that would see more hostages released and potentially wind down the war. But there were no signs of a breakthrough this week after two days of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
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Asharq Al-Awsat
7 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
A Father Mourns 2 Sons Killed in an Israeli Strike as Hunger Worsens in Gaza
Three brothers in the Gaza Strip woke up early to run to a local clinic to get 'sweets,' their word for the emergency food supplements distributed by aid groups. By the time their father woke up, two of the brothers had been fatally wounded by an Israeli strike and the third had lost an eye. The strike outside the clinic on Thursday in the central city of Deir al-Balah killed 14 people, including nine children, according to a local hospital, which had initially reported 10 children killed but later said one had died in a separate incident. The Israeli military said it targeted a gunman it said had taken part in the Hamas attack that ignited the 21-month war. Security camera footage appeared to show two young men targeted as they walked past the clinic where several people were squatting outside. Hatem Al-Nouri's four-year-old son, Amir, was killed immediately. His eight-year-old son, Omar, was still breathing when he reached the hospital but died shortly thereafter. He said that at first he didn't recognize his third son, two-year-old Siraj, because his eye had been torn out. 'What did these children do to deserve this?' the father said as he broke into tears. 'They were dreaming of having a loaf of bread.' Violence in the West Bank In a separate development, Israeli settlers killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. It said Seifeddin Musalat, 23, was beaten to death and Mohammed al-Shalabi, 23, was shot in the chest in the village of Sinjil near the city of Ramallah. Both were 23. The military said Palestinians had hurled rocks at Israelis in the area earlier on Friday, lightly wounding two people. That set off a larger confrontation that included 'vandalism of Palestinian property, arson, physical clashes, and rock hurling,' the army said. It said troops had dispersed the crowds, without saying if anyone was arrested. Palestinians and rights groups have long accused the military of ignoring settler violence, which has spiked — along with Palestinian attacks and Israeli military raids — since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. 'Sharp and unprecedented' rise in malnutrition Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in recent weeks while trying to get food, according to local health officials. Experts say hunger is widespread among the territory's 2 million Palestinians and that Israel's blockade and military offensive have put them at risk of famine. The deputy director of the World Food Program said Friday that humanitarian needs and constraints on the UN's ability to provide aid are worse than he's ever seen, saying 'starvation is spreading' and one in three people are going for days without eating. Carl Skau told UN reporters in New York that on a visit to Gaza last week he didn't see any markets, only small amounts of potatoes being sold on a few street corners in Gaza City. He was told that a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of flour now costs over $25. The international aid group Doctors Without Borders said it has recorded a 'sharp and unprecedented rise" in acute malnutrition at two clinics it operates in Gaza, with more than 700 pregnant and breastfeeding women, and nearly 500 children, receiving outpatient therapeutic food. 'Our neonatal intensive care unit is severely overcrowded, with four to five babies sharing a single incubator," Dr. Joanne Perry, a physician with the group, said in a statement. 'This is my third time in Gaza, and I've never seen anything like this. Mothers are asking me for food for their children, pregnant women who are six months along often weigh no more than 40 kilograms (88 pounds).' The Israeli military body in charge of civilian affairs in Gaza says it is allowing enough food to enter and blames the UN and other aid groups for not promptly distributing it. Risking their lives for food Israel ended a ceasefire and renewed its offensive in March. It eased a 2 1/2 month blockade in May, but the UN and aid groups say they are struggling to distribute humanitarian aid because of Israeli military restrictions and a breakdown of law and order that has led to widespread looting. A separate aid mechanism built around an American group backed by Israel has Palestinians running a deadly gantlet to reach its sites. Witnesses and health officials say hundreds have been killed by Israeli fire while heading toward the distribution points through military zones off limits to independent media. The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at Palestinians who it says approached its forces in a suspicious manner. The Israeli- and US-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation denies there has been any violence in or around its sites. But two of its contractors told The Associated Press that their colleagues have fired live ammunition and stun grenades as Palestinians scramble for food, allegations denied by the foundation. The UN Human Rights Office said Thursday that it has recorded 798 killings near Gaza aid sites in a little over a month leading up to July 7. Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the office, said 615 were killed 'in the vicinity of the GHF sites" and the remainder on convoy routes used by other aid groups. A GHF spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the group's policies, rejected the 'false and misleading stats," saying most of the deaths were linked to shootings near UN convoys, which pass by Israeli army positions and have been attacked by armed gangs and unloaded by crowds. Israel has long accused UN bodies of being biased against it. No ceasefire after two days of Trump-Netanyahu talks Hamas-led fighters killed some 1,200 people in their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and abducted 251. They still hold 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which is under Gaza's Hamas-run government, doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties. US President Donald Trump has said he is closing in on another ceasefire agreement that would see more hostages released and potentially wind down the war. But there were no signs of a breakthrough this week after two days of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
Arab News
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More than 20 civilians killed in Myanmar air strike on monastery: witnesses
BANGKOK: More than 20 civilians, including children, were killed after a recent air strike on a monastery in central Myanmar, an anti-junta fighter and a resident said Saturday. Myanmar has been consumed by civil war since the military ousted a democratic government in 2021, and central Sagaing region has been particularly hard-hit, with the junta pummeling villages with air strikes targeting armed groups. The most recent occurred around 1:00 am Friday in Lin Ta Lu village when 'the monastery hall where internally displaced people were staying' was hit with an air strike, said an anti-junta fighter, who requested anonymity for safety reasons. He said that 22 people were killed, including three children, while two were wounded and remained in critical condition at the hospital. 'They had thought it was safe to stay at a Buddhist monastery,' the anti-junta fighter said. 'But they were bombed anyway.' Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment. A local resident confirmed that the monastery hall was 'completely destroyed,' adding that he saw some bodies loaded into a car and transported to a cemetery at dawn on Friday after the air strike. He said when he went to the cemetery to take photos to help with identifying the dead, he counted 22 bodies. 'Many of the bodies had head wounds or were torn apart. It was sad to see,' said the resident, who also asked to remain anonymous. Sagaing region was the epicenter of a devastating magnitude-7.7 quake in March, which left nearly 3,800 people dead and tens of thousands homeless. After the quake, there was a purported truce between the junta and armed groups, but air strikes and fighting have continued, according to conflict monitors. In May, an air strike on a school in the village of Oe Htein Kwin in Sagaing killed 20 students and two teachers.
Asharq Al-Awsat
12 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
US Aware of Reported Death of American after Beating by Israeli Settlers
The US State Department said on Friday it was aware of the reported death of a US citizen in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after reports emerged of Israeli settlers fatally beating a Palestinian American. Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing the local health ministry, said Saif al-Din Kamel Abdul Karim Musallat, aged in his 20s, died after he was beaten by Israeli settlers on Friday evening in an attack that also injured many people in a town north of Ramallah. Relatives of Musallat, who was from Tampa, Florida, were also quoted by the Washington Post as saying he was beaten to death by Israeli settlers. "We are aware of reports of the death of a US citizen in the West Bank," a State Department spokesperson said, adding the department had no further comment "out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones" of the reported victim. The Israeli military said Israel was probing the incident in the town of Sinjil. It said rocks were hurled at Israelis near Sinjil and that "a violent confrontation developed in the area", reported Reuters. Israel has expanded and consolidated settlements in the West Bank as part of the steady integration of these territories into the state of Israel in breach of international law, the UN human rights office said in March. Settler violence in the West Bank, including incursions into occupied territory and raids, has intensified since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in late 2023. Israel's military offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza's health ministry, and led to accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations and says it is fighting in self-defense after the October 2023 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israeli killings of US citizens in the West Bank in recent years include those of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Palestinian American teenager Omar Mohammad Rabea and Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. The United Nations' highest court said last year Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there were illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible.
