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52 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes and shootings near aid site in Gaza

52 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes and shootings near aid site in Gaza

Fifteen others died in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital.
People inspect the wreckage of a petrol station destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Saturday (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)
The military did not respond to The Associated Press's request for comment on the civilian deaths.
Separately, at least 24 people were killed on their way to a food distribution site near Rafah, said hospital officials and witnesses, including those wounded.
The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots toward people it said were behaving suspiciously to prevent them from approaching. It added it was not aware of any casualties from the incident.
Witnesses there said they were on their way to the site seeking food and were shot at.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people in their October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and abducted 251.
They still hold 50 hostages, fewer 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 more than 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, does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.
The UN and other international organisations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.
US President Donald Trump has said that he is closing in on another ceasefire agreement that would see more hostages released and potentially wind down the war.
But after two days of talks this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there were no signs of a breakthrough.
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Edinburgh University responds as students stage walk out over Israel
Edinburgh University responds as students stage walk out over Israel

The National

time21 minutes ago

  • The National

Edinburgh University responds as students stage walk out over Israel

Video shared on Instagram showed Thursday's events – which were for graduates of the university's School of Social and Political Science – being repeatedly interrupted by pro-Palestine protests from the student body. Graduates waved flags with slogans such as 'No universities in Gaza', 'Jews say divest', and 'fund teaching not genocide' as they took to the stage. Video on social media showed the event being interrupted as a student protester shouted from the crowd: 'How dare you? 'The UN has explicitly named the University of Edinburgh as one of the most significantly financially complicit universities in the Gaza genocide.' A large group of students were seen to rise, chanting, before walking out of the ceremony. The Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society posted other clips and reported that further protests had happened during ceremonies for biomedical sciences, engineering, chemistry, physics, and English. It came after a report by Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, named the University of Edinburgh as one of 'the most financially entangled' institutions in the UK to Israel. "With both direct and indexed investments, the university ranks among the most financially entangled institutions in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,' Albanese reported. READ MORE: Scottish university agreed to monitor students for arms firm, emails show "The university also partners with firms aiding Israeli military operations, including Leonardo S.p.A. and Ben-Gurion University, through the AI and Data Science Lab at Ben Gurion University, sharing research that directly links it with assaults on Palestinians.' Responding, Professor Colm Harmon, the university's vice-principal students, said: 'We are disappointed that protestors chose to disrupt Thursday's graduation ceremonies. 'We respect lawful and peaceful protest, but having the ceremony interrupted in this way created an intimidating and hostile environment that was deeply disrespectful to our graduates, guests and university staff. 'These events are hugely significant milestones for our graduates and we ask for everyone to be respectful of those who have come to celebrate their achievements with their family and supporters. 'We will continue to do everything we can to minimise disruption and are sorry for the impact this had on what is meant to be a truly important celebratory moment.' READ MORE: ​'Why must Palestinians pay?': Holocaust survivor speaks out on Gaza genocide Separately, a spokesperson for the university said that a new Responsible Investment Advisory Group had been set up to 'inform the university's approach to responsible investment, carefully considering the diverse perspectives and concerns of our community'. They added: 'We unequivocally condemn the violence and suffering resulting from events in Israel and Gaza in recent years. 'While our commitment as a global institution to act in accordance with our values is unwavering, it is essential that any actions taken are measured, responsible and fully consultive.' Last week, Edinburgh Napier University cut its live stream off after a student began a pro-Palestine demonstration at a graduation ceremony.

Strike kills ten people collecting water in Gaza as total deaths in war top 58,000
Strike kills ten people collecting water in Gaza as total deaths in war top 58,000

ITV News

time2 hours ago

  • ITV News

Strike kills ten people collecting water in Gaza as total deaths in war top 58,000

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Woman's legal claim after ‘genocide' pillowcase protest in North Wales
Woman's legal claim after ‘genocide' pillowcase protest in North Wales

North Wales Live

time2 hours ago

  • North Wales Live

Woman's legal claim after ‘genocide' pillowcase protest in North Wales

A former Bangor University student is taking legal action following a dramatic protest she made at her graduation. Aishah AlBader claimed her right to freedom of expression was denied when she was dragged off stage for making a Palestine protest. The Kuwaiti national has taken the first step in civil proceedings against the Gwynedd university under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). She is alleging assault/battery, false imprisonment and violating freedom of expression. In a 20-page letter sent to Bangor University, Aishah claimed she was forcibly removed from the stage by security guards when she tried to peacefully protest. She refused to shake the Vice Chancellor's hand, handing him a leaflet about the university's investments, and walked across the stage with a pillowcase bearing the message ' Bangor University invests in Genocide'. Aishah said: 'As I walked up to graduate, I could only think of Gaza - of the students who will never get to graduate, whose lives, dreams, and hopes have been destroyed under Israel's ongoing genocide. Tens of thousands have been killed, entire families wiped out, and schools and universities reduced to rubble.' She undertook the protest as a gesture against Bangor University's investments in companies she claimed were 'complicit in human rights violations against Palestinians and the unlawful occupation of Palestine'. The university said it has an ethical approach to investments and is currently reviewing its policy. Aishah said she could not accept my degree 'in silence', adding: 'I knew I had to use that platform to centre those oppressed and dehumanised in Palestine. So, I held up a pillowcase reading 'Bangor University invests in genocide'. In response, I was dragged off stage, injured and humiliated." She continued: "I lost professional opportunities I had worked hard to earn and lived in fear and uncertainty of the future. My parents travelled thousands of miles to watch my graduation, and it should have been a moment of joy and pride. "I don't believe that holding a pillowcase should ever provoke violence and the pillowcase I held at my graduation revealed a truth that the university is desperate to hide. 'By bringing this case, I hope to affirm that no student should be punished for speaking out against injustices across the globe and in Palestine.' Aishah has hired London legal firm Gold Jennings to represent her. Her lawyers, Alexander Hogg and Jessica Harrison, said their client had intended to peacefully protest at the graduation ceremony. Her legal team said: 'Instead of facilitating Ms AlBader's non-disruptive and peaceful protest, around four university security officers forcibly dragged her from the stage before removing her from the building. She sustained physical injuries from the incident. 'Our client was part of the movement on Bangor University's campus to end the university's continued investments in companies on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions list. 'Her protest was intended to highlight the university's financial ties to firms complicit in what the International Court of Justice found in January 2024 is a plausible genocide in Gaza and the unlawful occupation of Palestine. 'Gold Jennings has been instructed by Ms AlBader to bring a civil claim for assault/battery, false imprisonment, and breach of her rights under Article 8 and 10 ECHR. As things stand, we have sent a letter of claim to Bangor University and are awaiting the university's response.' Alexander Hogg of Gold Jennings said: 'Safeguarding freedom of expression and the right to protest requires upholding them not only when it is convenient but when it is uncomfortable – such as during graduation ceremonies, when principled students draw much needed public attention to universities' unethical investments. 'Moreover, ensuring that universities are held to account when they violate students' right to protest and free speech, such as in the case of my client, not only protects the right to protest and speak out against what is happening in Palestine, it protects the right to protest and speak out on all issues of public importance for everyone. 'My client has taken a brave and first step in holding Bangor University accountable for preventing her from exercising her right to freedom of speech.' A Bangor University spokesperson said: 'We're aware of a claim. As this is an ongoing matter we are unable to comment.' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Protest camps During the last academic year, protest groups staged encampments and occupations at universities across the UK, including Bangor and Cardiff. A Palestine protest camp was set up on university land outside the Pontio building in Bangor in May 2024. It lasted a year before the university issued an eviction notice in May this year, followed by a possession order in June. The 'notice to vacate' was handed to the protestors. But when the deadline to vacate passed without compliance, the university said it 'made the difficult decision' to seek a 'possession order' through the courts. This was granted on June 12. A Bangor University spokesperson said at the time: 'This legal action was a necessary step to bring an end to the ongoing disruption to university property and operations. Our priority remains towards ensuring a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all members of our community.' A statement on the university's website, posted in May 2024 and still there, sets out the institution's 'ethical and sustainable' investments policy. It says: 'The university does not choose individual investments itself but has a framework that our investment managers use to create our portfolio. 'Our policy stipulates that we expect a high level of environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG) measures to be in place for any potential investment. The university also screens out potential investments in weapons, armaments, alcohol, gambling, tobacco, adult entertainment and fossil fuel companies. 'Bangor University is currently reviewing this investment policy, with initial discussions having already taken place at the investment committee of which the president of the Bangor University Students' Union is a member. 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