Dozens killed seeking aid in Gaza as Israel considers further military action
The latest deaths came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to announced further military action — and possibly plans for Israel to fully reoccupy Gaza. Experts say Israel's ongoing military offensive and blockade are already pushing the territory of some 2 million Palestinians into famine.
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Toronto Star
23 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Thousands in the Ivory Coast protest the exclusion of opposition leaders from election
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Thousands of Ivorians took to the streets in Abidjan, the capital of the West African nation, to protest against the exclusion of opposition leaders from the upcoming presidential election. Ivory Coast, a nation of 32 million that is the biggest economy of francophone West Africa, is due to hold a presidential vote in October. Earlier this year four main opposition figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam, were barred from running by the electoral commission.
Winnipeg Free Press
23 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Thousands in the Ivory Coast protest the exclusion of opposition leaders from election
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Thousands of Ivorians took to the streets in Abidjan, the capital of the West African nation, to protest against the exclusion of opposition leaders from the upcoming presidential election. Ivory Coast, a nation of 32 million that is the biggest economy of francophone West Africa, is due to hold a presidential vote in October. Earlier this year four main opposition figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam, were barred from running by the electoral commission. Protesters gathered Saturday morning in Yopougon, a densely populated suburb of the capital Abidjan, holding banners with messages such as: 'Enough is enough!' and 'No true democracy without true justice.' Gbagbo and Thiam joined forces earlier this year to challenge incumbent President Alassane Ouattara. The 83-year-old leader announced last month that he would seek a fourth presidential term. His candidacy is contested after he changed the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits. 'We are millions saying YES to Gbagbo and Thiam' said another banner in the crowd. 'We don't want a fourth term, and we want the electoral roll revised, that's what we are asking for,' said Sagesse Divine, an activist who participated in Saturday's march. 'We want all candidates' names included, and we want to go to the elections in peace, that's all we want.' There was no immediate comments from Ivorian authorities. Thiam, president of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, won the party's primary in an uncontested vote in April. Seen as Ouattara's main rival, he has been barred from running on the grounds that he was still a French citizen at the time he declared his candidacy, even though he later renounced his French nationality. Ivorian law bans dual nationals from running for president. Elections in Ivory Coast have usually been fraught with tension and violence. When Ouattara announced his bid for a third term, several people were killed in election violence. Ouattara is the latest among a growing number of leaders in West Africa who remain in power by changing constitutional term limits. Ouattara justified his decision to run again by saying that the Ivory Coast is facing unprecedented security, economic and monetary challenges that require experience to manage them effectively. Over the past decade, groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have been spreading from the Sahel region into wealthier West African coastal states, such as Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin.
Winnipeg Free Press
23 minutes ago
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Israel faces growing global condemnation over military expansion in Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — International condemnation grew Saturday over Israel's decision for a military takeover of Gaza City, while little appeared to change immediately on the ground in the territory shattered by 22 months of war. Health officials said that 11 Palestinians seeking aid were shot dead, and 11 adults died of malnutrition-related causes in the past 24 hours. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to meet with Qatar's prime minister in Spain on Saturday to discuss a new proposal to end the war, according to two officials familiar with the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak with the media. Mediators Egypt and Qatar are preparing a new ceasefire framework that would include the release of all hostages — dead and alive — in one go in return for the war's end and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, two Arab officials have told The Associated Press. 'Shut the country down' Families of hostages were rallying again Saturday evening to pressure the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid new fears over the 50 remaining hostages, with 20 of them thought to be alive and struggling. 'The living will be murdered and the fallen will be lost forever' if the offensive goes ahead, said Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held in Gaza. She called on Israelis to 'help us save the hostages, the soldiers and the state of Israel … Shut the country down.' A joint statement by nine countries including Germany, Britain, France and Canada said that the 'strongly reject' Israel's decision for the large-scale military operation, saying it will worsen the 'catastrophic humanitarian situation,' endanger hostages and further risk mass displacement. They said any attempts at annexation or settlement in Gaza violate international law. A separate statement by more than 20 countries including ceasefire mediators Egypt and Qatar along with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates called Israel's decision a 'dangerous and unacceptable escalation.' Meanwhile, Russia said Israel's plan will aggravate the 'already extremely dramatic situation' in Gaza. The U.N. Security Council planned an emergency meeting Sunday. And Germany has said it won't authorize any exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza until further notice. Killed while seeking aid Officials at Nasser and Awda hospitals said that Israeli forces killed at least 11 people seeking aid in southern and central Gaza. Some had been waiting for aid trucks, while others had been approaching aid distribution points. Israel's military denied opening fire and said that it was unaware of the incidents. The military secures routes leading to distribution sites run by the Israeli-backed and U.S.-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Two witnesses told the AP that Israeli troops fired toward crowds approaching a GHF distribution site on foot in the Netzarim corridor, a military zone that bisects Gaza. One witness, Ramadan Gaber, said that snipers and tanks fired on aid-seekers, forcing them to retreat. In Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, some aid-seekers cheered the latest airdrops of aid. Hundreds of people rushed to grab what they could, though many have called the process degrading. Aid organizations have called airdrops expensive, insufficient and potentially dangerous for people on the ground. Israel's military said that at least 106 packages of aid were airdropped Saturday as Italy and Greece joined the multicountry effort for the first time. Footage from Italy's defense ministry showed not only packages being parachuted over Gaza but the dry and devastated landscape below. 'This way is not for humans, it is for animals,' said one man at the scene, Mahmoud Hawila, who said he was stabbed while trying to secure an airdropped package. Barefoot children collected rice, pasta and lentils that had spilled from packages onto the ground. The United Nations and partners, whose existing aid delivery system has been criticized by Israel, has called repeatedly for more of the trucks waiting outside Gaza to be allowed not just into the territory, but safely to destinations inside it for distribution. More deaths from hunger Gaza's Health Ministry said that 11 more adults died of malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 114 since it began counting such adult deaths in late June. It said that 98 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, with militants killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251. Israel is 'forcing Palestinians into a state of near-starvation to the point that they abandon their land voluntarily,' Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a news conference in Egypt. The toll from hunger isn't included in the ministry's death toll of 61,300 Palestinians in the war. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, doesn't distinguish between fighters or civilians, but says around half of the dead have been women and children. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Wednesdays What's next in arts, life and pop culture. Israel disputes the ministry's figures, but hasn't provided its own. ___ Sam Metz reported from Jerusalem, and Samy Magdy from Cairo. Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Matthew Lee in Washington, contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
