Gaza doctor's family amongst 79 killed in airstrikes
Israeli blockade continues as Gaza death toll reaches 53,901
Palestinian health authorities in Gaza announced on Saturday that 79 bodies had been brought to medical facilities following Israeli military operations conducted over the previous day.
The figure does not include potential casualties from Gaza's northern region, where medical infrastructure has become inaccessible due to ongoing conflict.
The fatalities include a devastating personal tragedy for one medical professional. Dr Alaa Najjar, who works as a paediatrician at Nasser Hospital, lost nine of her ten children when their home was struck on Friday evening in Khan Younis, situated in Gaza's southern area.
Dr Ahmad al-Farra, who heads the paediatric unit at Nasser Hospital, reported that Dr Najjar was working her hospital shift when the attack occurred. Upon returning home, she discovered her house engulfed in flames. Her husband sustained serious injuries, whilst her sole surviving child—an 11-year-old boy—remains in critical condition.
The children who died were aged between seven months and 12 years. Health Ministry spokesman Khalil al-Dokran told the Associated Press that two young victims are still trapped beneath rubble.
Israeli military officials have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding this particular incident. However, the Israeli Defence Forces announced earlier on Saturday that their air operations had targeted over 100 locations throughout Gaza during the same timeframe.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, these recent deaths bring the conflict's total death toll to 53,901 since the violence began on 7th October 2023.
The ministry stated that 3,747 Palestinians have died since Israel recommenced major operations on 18th March, part of an effort to compel Hamas to agree to modified ceasefire conditions.
Israel's strategy has included implementing a comprehensive blockade affecting Gaza's population of more than 2 million residents since early March.
This week marked the first time since the blockade's implementation that a small number of humanitarian supply lorries entered the territory.
However, these deliveries represent a dramatic reduction from the approximately 600 daily lorry shipments that occurred during previous ceasefire periods.
International food security specialists have issued famine warnings, whilst photographs showing desperate Palestinians competing for meals at dwindling charitable feeding centres have prompted Israel's international partners to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to permit increased humanitarian access.
Netanyahu's government has presented a new American-backed system for aid delivery and distribution, though United Nations officials and partner organisations have declined participation, arguing it would weaponise food assistance and breach humanitarian standards.
Recent correspondence obtained by the Associated Press suggests Israel may be reconsidering its position to allow humanitarian organisations continued oversight of non-food relief efforts.
Whilst Israel maintains that Hamas has diverted aid supplies, UN representatives and humanitarian groups dispute claims of substantial diversion.
The 7th October assault on southern Israeli communities resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, with Hamas taking 251 individuals as hostages.
Israel's subsequent military response has severely damaged much of Gaza, with the Health Ministry reporting that women and children comprise the majority of Palestinian casualties.
Israeli officials state they will continue with military operations until Hamas releases all 58 remaining Israeli hostages and surrenders its weapons.
Hamas leadership has indicated they will only return the remaining hostages in exchange for additional Palestinian prisoner releases, a permanent ceasefire, and complete Israeli military withdrawal from the territory.
Netanyahu has dismissed these conditions and pledged to maintain Israeli oversight of Gaza whilst supporting what he describes as voluntary Palestinian population relocation.
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Libyan Express
25-05-2025
- Libyan Express
Gaza doctor's family amongst 79 killed in airstrikes
Israeli blockade continues as Gaza death toll reaches 53,901 Palestinian health authorities in Gaza announced on Saturday that 79 bodies had been brought to medical facilities following Israeli military operations conducted over the previous day. The figure does not include potential casualties from Gaza's northern region, where medical infrastructure has become inaccessible due to ongoing conflict. The fatalities include a devastating personal tragedy for one medical professional. Dr Alaa Najjar, who works as a paediatrician at Nasser Hospital, lost nine of her ten children when their home was struck on Friday evening in Khan Younis, situated in Gaza's southern area. Dr Ahmad al-Farra, who heads the paediatric unit at Nasser Hospital, reported that Dr Najjar was working her hospital shift when the attack occurred. Upon returning home, she discovered her house engulfed in flames. Her husband sustained serious injuries, whilst her sole surviving child—an 11-year-old boy—remains in critical condition. The children who died were aged between seven months and 12 years. Health Ministry spokesman Khalil al-Dokran told the Associated Press that two young victims are still trapped beneath rubble. Israeli military officials have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding this particular incident. However, the Israeli Defence Forces announced earlier on Saturday that their air operations had targeted over 100 locations throughout Gaza during the same timeframe. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, these recent deaths bring the conflict's total death toll to 53,901 since the violence began on 7th October 2023. The ministry stated that 3,747 Palestinians have died since Israel recommenced major operations on 18th March, part of an effort to compel Hamas to agree to modified ceasefire conditions. Israel's strategy has included implementing a comprehensive blockade affecting Gaza's population of more than 2 million residents since early March. This week marked the first time since the blockade's implementation that a small number of humanitarian supply lorries entered the territory. However, these deliveries represent a dramatic reduction from the approximately 600 daily lorry shipments that occurred during previous ceasefire periods. International food security specialists have issued famine warnings, whilst photographs showing desperate Palestinians competing for meals at dwindling charitable feeding centres have prompted Israel's international partners to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to permit increased humanitarian access. Netanyahu's government has presented a new American-backed system for aid delivery and distribution, though United Nations officials and partner organisations have declined participation, arguing it would weaponise food assistance and breach humanitarian standards. Recent correspondence obtained by the Associated Press suggests Israel may be reconsidering its position to allow humanitarian organisations continued oversight of non-food relief efforts. Whilst Israel maintains that Hamas has diverted aid supplies, UN representatives and humanitarian groups dispute claims of substantial diversion. The 7th October assault on southern Israeli communities resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, with Hamas taking 251 individuals as hostages. Israel's subsequent military response has severely damaged much of Gaza, with the Health Ministry reporting that women and children comprise the majority of Palestinian casualties. Israeli officials state they will continue with military operations until Hamas releases all 58 remaining Israeli hostages and surrenders its weapons. Hamas leadership has indicated they will only return the remaining hostages in exchange for additional Palestinian prisoner releases, a permanent ceasefire, and complete Israeli military withdrawal from the territory. Netanyahu has dismissed these conditions and pledged to maintain Israeli oversight of Gaza whilst supporting what he describes as voluntary Palestinian population relocation.
Times
26-04-2025
- Times
Syrian doctors can finally speak, but freedom doesn't buy medicine
On a warm spring morning in southern Syria, a woman in labour lies on a metal-framed bed, awaiting a caesarean section without anaesthetic. A nurse shuffles in — not to check on the mother, but to retrieve her own bag. Shortages have forced the hospital team to put pre-op patients in the staff room. Qatana Hospital sits in the foothills of Mount Hermon, a few miles from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Outside, snow still laces the jagged peaks. Inside, the only working ultrasound machine is seeing its 50th patient of the day. The wind rattles the gaffer-taped window frames. This was once a modest government clinic. Now it serves more than 1.5 million people. Dr Nour, 30, wears a pale blue hijab and matching Crocs. The obstetrician smiles constantly as she details the daily wreckage. 'We have one birthing suite and one ultrasound,' she says, gesturing to the machine framed by walls with damp and peeling paint. 'The other two are broken. They'll stay broken. The company that used to service them was sanctioned.' After a lightning assault which led to the sudden collapse of President Assad's regime four months ago, Syria's long-muzzled doctors have begun to speak out. But free speech does not buy incubators or antibiotics. Sanctions, originally aimed at crippling the regime, are now smothering a country desperately trying to breathe. They are proving particularly damaging to Syria's already-devastated healthcare sector. Measures intended to restrict the government's access to funds and arms have also deterred international suppliers from sending even basic medical equipment. Banks refuse to transfer payments. Shipping companies will not deliver. Helium for MRI scanners and nitrous oxide for anaesthesia are caught in the net, classified as 'dual-use' items because of their potential application in explosives. Qatana handles about 120 natural births a month and another 70 by caesarean. With only one operating table, patients are sometimes wheeled mid-labour between the general surgery and obstetric wards. In paediatrics, two of seven incubators still function. Babies born prematurely are swaddled and prayed over. There is no foetal heart monitor. All this in a country where more than a decade of war devastated hospitals and drove large numbers of doctors and other medical professionals into exile. In the capital, Damascus, Dr Zuhair Kharat, director of planning at the Ministry of Health, sits in an office once occupied by Assad loyalists. He says: 'If sanctions were about Assad, why are they still here? We tried for two months to buy one dialysis machine for Damascus's children's hospital. We had the supplier, the contract, everything. But we couldn't make the payment.' Across Syria, 71 per cent of health centres lack back-up generators. Ambulances sit idle. Machines break and stay broken. A recent Lancet paper accused European governments of clinging to sanctions as a moral gesture. In truth, the regime dodged sanctions with impunity. Crystal chandeliers and luxury cars were ransacked from Assad's homes after he fled to Moscow. • The rise and fall of the Assads — from a palace to a dacha On Thursday the British government removed asset freezes on a dozen Syrian entities, including the interior and defence ministries, intelligence agencies and state media. But healthcare is still waiting. Chris Law, MP for Dundee Central, said: 'I hope that the UK government will see sense, lift these barriers and ensure that the Syrian people's access to healthcare is not needlessly restricted.' In the emergency corridor at Qatana Hospital, the din is constant as nurses ferry patients past cracked tiles and rusting IV stands, while other departments are ghostly quiet. On Tuesdays they open for only three hours because of staff shortages. Toilets lack soap and do not appear to have been cleaned for quite some time. Sanctions, aid cuts and years of sabotage to infrastructure have left Qatana, like much of Syria, on life-support. Healthcare is nominally free in government facilities, but patients often buy their own IV fluids and paracetamol. Private care is not an option: the regime shut the only private hospital in town, accusing its owners of revolutionary sympathies, says the hospital's director, Abdulkarim Kaddouraa. The equipment was looted. One doctor was jailed. He describes efforts to purge the hospital's past: firing cleaning and catering contractors accused of regime-era corruption. But no replacements came. The kitchen is closed. Nurses now mop floors and buy their own food. • After the fall of Assad, Syria's fragile alliances start to fail In the northwest of the country, Idlib province glimmers with a strange contradiction. Streets are lined with glowing fast food signs and gleaming malls. One local jokingly says: 'Welcome to Las Vegas.' But barely beyond the main road, down a bumpy track, lie row after row of tents in the Bab al-Hawa camp, hugged by the Turkish border, stretching as far as the eye can see. A small white-walled clinic hums with activity. Unlike the government hospital, it is clean, functioning and stocked. But for how long? The World Health Organisation has warned that 172 health facilities across northwest Syria could run out of funding by next month. This clinic, funded by the aid charity Action for Humanity, risks total closure. Here, Rabia Hamoud is the clinic's only midwife. She is also a counsellor and a one-woman family planning team. She sees more than 40 women a day. The pressure from the lack of functioning government hospitals is bleeding into the facilities that can still operate. By noon, 80 patients have passed through the clinic's four rooms. In the waiting area, babies wail. Ten women, most in niqabs, stand waiting. In the emergency room: a scorpion sting, a malnourished toddler, a woman reacting to expired contraceptives and an elderly patient who is depressed. Mothers are desperate to tell their stories. Maria Qarqur, 33, rushes over, cradling her 18-month-old, Husam. She lifts his camouflage-print pyjamas to reveal a stomach scarred and bulging from multiple operations. Born with gastroschisis, in which the intestines protrude through a hole in the abdominal wall, he needs dressings, prescriptions and referrals from the clinic. Maria cannot afford the fuel to reach another hospital. If this clinic closes, she does not know what they will do. In the paediatrics room, Dr Salah Ibrahim stares at his paperwork and sighs when asked about the greatest challenge. Sitting behind a desk covered in plastic sheeting, he says: 'Infections spread fast here. Children share bedding. Share water. We see so many skin diseases.' But then he pulls out his phone and shows a picture from before the fall of Assad. A boy's face, his features melded into one bloody, fleshy mess. 'Cluster munitions hit us one month before the regime fell ,' he says. 'That was our daily life.' He shakes his head. 'To work now without fear of bombs is … ' He is lost for words and smiles. Syria is free, but freedom does not sterilise surgical tools. It does not deliver babies. A country once silenced is finally able to speak. But in the global corridors of power not enough people are listening.
Irish Daily Star
25-04-2025
- Irish Daily Star
UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty as feds push death penalty
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson , pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges related to murder and stalking in connection with Thompson's death. Mangione, 26, is alleged to have fatally shot Thompson outside his hotel in New York City on December 4, 2024. He was indicted last week on four federal charges, including murder, in relation to the alleged crime. Prosecutors are pushing for the death penalty . Despite their seemingly stern stance towards the defendant, the prosecution stated it would not pursue additional charges against the alleged killer. The judge instructed prosecutors to present all evidence they have against the 26 year old within the next 30 days. Read More Related Articles Donald Trump branded 'disgusting' as he honors Pope Francis in 'baffling' way Read More Related Articles Trump struggles to hide mystery bruise with makeup despite 'excellent health' claims Mangione, 26, is alleged to have fatally shot Thompson outside his hotel in New York City (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Thompson's premeditated murder ignited public outrage against insurance companies and the American health care system, which has long been viewed as profit-driven. Mangione has also garnered significant public support, with some even protesting his incarceration outside the courthouse where his trial is taking place. On Friday, messaging trucks circling the NYC federal court displayed a message reading: "US insurers DENY treatment, DELAYS care & DEFEND their bottom lines at the cost of lives." Mangione has garnered significant public support (Image: Getty Images) Back in February, a crowd of supporters gathered outside a federal courthouse to back the 26 year old during his trial by showing solidarity. Many were donning green caps with nods to "Luigi" from the Mario Bros Nintendo franchise and wielding placards emblazoned with slogans such as "Free Luigi" and "Health care is a human right." Prosecutors are hinging their case on the 26 year old's most serious accusation of gun-related murder, hoping it will secure a capital verdict as indicated by the US Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York. Following Attorney General Pam Bondi's call for Mangiones execution upon a guilty finding, the Department of Justice laid down a motion for the death penalty last Thursday. Activist and whistleblower Chelsea Manning condemned the DOJ's "expedited" case against Mangione (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Besides facing the major accusations, the 26 year old must also contend with other charges across New York and Pennsylvania stemming from the manhunt that ensued when Mangione barely eluded capture in NYC. The accused has proclaimed innocence against murder and terrorism offenses lodged in New York. Activist and whistleblower Chelsea Manning addressed the media on Friday afternoon, decrying the DOJ's approach to the dual proceedings against the 26 year old, which she claimed were being "expedited" and branded as not "constitutional." When a journalist probed whether Mangione's assault on Thompson was supportable, Manning skillfully evaded the inquiry, emphasizing instead her belief in "a fair justice system." Bondi's advocacy for capital punishment is expected to align with President Donald Trump's agenda of increasing executions, a practice that was largely paused during the Biden era. Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst, served approximately seven years in prison for stealing classified diplomatic cables.
