Gaza death toll tops 55,000 as calls grow for ceasefire and accountability
In this episode of Global News Today, presented by Tom Burges Watson, we bring you the latest from around the world – with a special focus on the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. As the death toll surpasses 55,000 since October 2023, we examine the scale of devastation, the international response, and the mounting calls for accountability and an end to conflict to prevent further loss of life.
We analyze the remarks of US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, suggesting that Muslim-majority countries could provide land for a future Palestinian state. The comments have sparked intense global debate – we unpack the implications and international fallout.
Tom is joined for reaction and analysis with special guest Andrew Gilmour, a former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights who shares his expert insight on the worsening humanitarian crisis. We also speak to Salam Fayyad, former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority.
Salam Fayyad – Former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority
Ambassador Hesham Youssef – Former career diplomat with the Egyptian foreign ministry
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
41 minutes ago
- Arab News
Returning Syrian refugees cut global displaced total
GENEVA: Refugees returning to Syria have cut the global total of displaced people from a record peak at the end of 2024, the UN said on Thursday. More than 500,000 have returned from abroad and 1.2 million internally displaced people have gone back to their home areas since Bashar Assad was deposed in December. The UN refugee agency estimates 1.5 million from abroad and 2 million internally displaced will return by the end of 2025. Worldwide, a record 123.2 million were forcibly displaced by last December, but the total had fallen to 122.1 million by the end of April. The main drivers of displacement were conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine. 'We are living in a time of intense volatility ... with modern warfare creating a fragile, harrowing landscape marked by acute human suffering,' UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said. 'We must redouble our efforts to search for peace and find long-lasting solutions for refugees and others forced to flee their homes.'
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Sweden accuses Israel of war crimes over Gaza aid blockade
STOCKHOLM: Israel's refusal to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and its targeting of aid distribution points is causing civilians to starve, which constitutes a war crime, Sweden's foreign minister said on Thursday. In early June, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said deadly attacks on civilians around aid distribution sites in the Gaza Strip constituted 'a war crime,' while several rights groups, including Amnesty International, have accused Israel of genocide. Israel has vehemently rejected that term. 'To use starvation of civilians as a method of war is a war crime. Lifesaving humanitarian help must never be politicized or militarized,' Maria Malmer Stenergard said at a press conference. 'There are strong indications right now that Israel is not living up to its commitments under international humanitarian law,' she said. 'It is crucial that food, water, and medicine swiftly reach the civilian population, many of whom are women and children living under wholly inhumane conditions,' she said. Sweden announced in December 2024 that it was halting funding to the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, after Israel banned the organization, accusing it of providing cover for Hamas militants. Swedish International Development Minister Benjamin Dousa told Thursday's press conference that Stockholm was now channeling aid through other UN organizations, and was 'the fifth-biggest donor in the world ... (and) the second-largest donor in the EU to the humanitarian aid response in Gaza.' The country's humanitarian aid to Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023 currently amounts to more than 1 billion kronor ($105 million), while funding earmarked for Gaza for 2025 totals 800 million kronor, he said. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority said Internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza following an attack on the territory's last fiber optic cable. 'All Internet and fixed-line communication services in the Gaza Strip have been cut following the targeting of the last remaining main fiber optic line in Gaza,' the PA's Telecommunications Ministry said in a statement, accusing Israel of attempting to cut Gaza off from the world. 'The southern and central Gaza Strip have now joined Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip in experiencing complete isolation for the second consecutive day,' the ministry said in a statement. It added that its maintenance and repair teams had been unable to safely access the sites where the fiber optic cable was damaged. 'The Israeli occupation continues to prevent technical teams from repairing the cables that were cut yesterday,' it said, adding that Israeli authorities had prevented repairs to other telecommunication lines in Gaza 'for weeks and months.' The Palestinian Red Crescent said the communication lines were 'directly targeted by occupation forces.' It said the Internet outage was hindering its emergency services by impeding communication with first responder teams in the field. 'The emergency operations room is also struggling to coordinate with other organizations to respond to humanitarian cases.' Maysa Monayer, spokeswoman for the Palestinian Communication Ministry, said that 'mobile calls are still available with very limited capacity' in Gaza for the time being. Now in its 21st month, the war in Gaza has caused massive damage to infrastructure across the Palestinian territory, including water mains, power lines and roads.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Egypt blocks activists aiming to march to Gaza to draw attention to humanitarian crisis
RABAT: Egypt blocked activists planning to take part in a march to Gaza, halting their attempt to reach the border and challenge Israel's blockade on humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory before it could begin. Egyptian authorities and activists both said Thursday that people planning to march across the Sinai Peninsula were deported. To draw attention to the humanitarian crisis afflicting people in Gaza, marchers have for months planned to trek about 30 miles (about 50 kilometers) from the city of Arish to Egypt's border with the enclave on Sunday to 'create international moral and media pressure' to open the crossing at Rafah and lift a blockade that has prevented aid from entering. Saif Abu Keshek, one of the activists organizing the march, said that about 200 activists — mostly Algerians and Moroccans — were detained or deported. But those arriving to the Cairo International Airport on Thursday afternoon were allowed into Egypt, the Spain-based activist added. Organizers have not received approval from Egyptian authorities for Sunday's march and were evaluating how to proceed, he said. An Egyptian official on Thursday said more than three dozen activists, mostly carrying European passports, were deported upon their arrival at the Cairo International Airport in the past two days. The official said the activists aimed to travel to Northern Sinai 'without obtaining required authorizations.' The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
