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At least 36 killed by Israeli fire while seeking aid in Gaza
At least 36 people were killed by Israeli fire while they were on their way to an aid distribution site in Gaza at dawn on July 19, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots at suspects who approached its troops after they did not heed calls to stop, about a kilometre away from an aid distribution site that was not active at the time.
Gaza resident Mohammed al-Khalidi said he was in the group approaching the site and heard no warnings before the firing began.
"We thought they came out to organise us so we can get aid, suddenly (I) saw the jeeps coming from one side, and the tanks from the other and started shooting at us," he said.
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Druze regain control of Sweida city after Syria announces ceasefire
Druze fighters pushed out rival armed factions from Syria's southern city of Sweida on July 19, a monitor said, after the government ordered a ceasefire following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention.
Fighting nonetheless persisted in other parts of Sweida province, even as the Druze regained control of their city following days of fierce battle with armed Bedouin supported by tribal gunmen from other parts of Syria.
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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said that 'tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city on Saturday evening' after Druze fighters launched a large-scale attack.
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South Korea pulls plane crash report after victims' families protest
PHOTO: CHANG W. LEE/NYTIMES
South Korean officials on July 19 abruptly cancelled the release of an intermediate report into the deadly crash of a Jeju Air passenger jet, after relatives of the victims disrupted a news conference, saying that the report was inadequate.
The confrontational scene unfolded after officials had earlier briefed the families privately on the latest stage of the investigation. The officials were planning to publicly release some findings from an analysis of the engines on the Boeing 737-800 that crashed Dec 29, killing 179 of the 181 people on board.
A lawyer for the relatives, who saw the officials' presentation in the private meeting, said the investigators had found no fault with the engines and instead appeared to blame birds – which struck the engines minutes before it made an emergency landing – and the plane's pilots prematurely.
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Ukraine proposes fresh peace talks with Russia next week
PHOTO: AFP
Kyiv has proposed to Moscow a new round of peace talks next week, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 19, hours after Russian strikes across Ukraine claimed more lives.
Two rounds of talks in Istanbul between Moscow and Kyiv have failed to result in any progress towards a ceasefire, instead yielding large-scale prisoner exchanges and deals to return the bodies of killed soldiers.
'Security Council Secretary Umerov also reported that he had proposed the next meeting with the Russian side for next week,' Mr Zelensky said in his evening address. 'The momentum of the negotiations must be stepped up,' he added.
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Olympic champion Zheng pauses WTA Tour after elbow surgery
Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen said on July 19 she would take a short break from the WTA Tour after undergoing elbow surgery.
The 22-year-old Chinese player was eliminated from this year's Wimbledon tournament in the first round by Czech Katerina Siniakova earlier in July.
"Now begins the recovery journey," she wrote on Instagram. "Over the next few weeks and months, I'll be focusing entirely on rehab — doing everything I can to come back stronger and healthier."
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Straits Times
5 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Britain leads calls for airdrops as Gaza hunger crisis deepens
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Displaced Palestinians hauling food parcels and other items they managed to get from a GHF aid distribution point, in the central Gaza Strip on July 26. GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories - International pressure was mounting on July 26 for alternative ways to be found to deliver food to hungry Palestinian civilians in Gaza, with Britain vowing to back airdrops. The UK decision to support the plans of regional partners Jordan and the United Arab Emirates came as pro-Palestinian activists piloted a symbolic aid vessel towards the shores of Gaza in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade. On the ground, the territory's civil defence agency said at least 40 more Palestinians had been killed in Israeli military strikes and shootings. 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'Air drops are resuming once more, immediately.' 'Starving civilians' A number of Western and Arab governments carried out air drops in Gaza in 2024, at a time when aid deliveries by land also faced Israeli restrictions, but many in the humanitarian community consider them ineffective. 'Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians,' said Mr Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Israel imposed a total blockade on the entry of aid into Gaza on March 2 after talks to extend a ceasefire in the now 21-month-old conflict broke down. In late May, it began to allow a trickle of aid to enter. Israel's military insists it does not limit the number of trucks going into the Gaza Strip, and alleges that UN agencies and relief groups are not collecting the aid once it is inside the territory. 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One of the 14 was killed 'after Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for humanitarian aid' north-west of Gaza City, the agency said. Witnesses told AFP that several thousand people had gathered in the area. Mr Abu Samir Hamoudeh, 42, said the Israeli military opened fire while people were waiting to approach a distribution point near an Israeli military post in the Zikim area, north-west of Sudaniyah. The Israeli military told AFP that its troops fired 'warning shots to distance the crowd' after identifying an 'immediate threat'. It added that it was not aware of any casualties as a result of the fire. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas' October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. 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Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Syria, Israel agree to further talks on de-escalating conflict, Ekhbariya TV reports
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Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
Gaza civil defence says Israeli forces kill 11 people
Find out what's new on ST website and app. A civil defence spokesman said the toll included four Palestinians killed in an air strike on the Al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City. GAZA CITY - Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli operations killed 11 people on July 26 in the Palestinian territory devastated by over 21 months of war. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP the toll included four Palestinians killed in an air strike on the Al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City in the territory's north. One other person was killed 'after Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for humanitarian aid' northwest of Gaza City, the agency said. Eyewitnesses told AFP that several thousand people had gathered in the area to wait for aid. One of them, Mr Abu Samir Hamoudeh, 42, said the Israeli military opened fire 'while the people were waiting to approach the distribution point', located near an Israeli military post in the Zikim area, northwest of Sudaniyah. Another man was killed by a drone strike near the southern city of Khan Yunis, while one was killed by artillery fire in the Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza, the civil defence said. Questioned by AFP, the Israeli military said it was looking into the matter. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms, how reading habits take root in underserved S'pore kids Asia Death toll climbs as Thai-Cambodia clashes continue despite calls for ceasefire Singapore As Asean looks to nuclear energy, public education efforts are needed: UN nuclear watchdog chief Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar Asia Shunsaku Tamiya, who brought perfection to plastic race car models, dies at 90 In a separate statement, the military said it was continuing its operations in Gaza, adding that it killed members of a 'terrorist cell' which it accused of planting an explosive device targeting soldiers. It added that over the past day the air force had 'struck over 100 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip'. Mr Bassal also told AFP that civil defence teams on July 26 recovered the bodies of 12 people in the area of the Morag Corridor north of Rafah following Israeli bombardment the previous night. The recovery operation was conducted in coordination with the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), he said, adding that the bodies were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after a deadly attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct 7, 2023. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,676 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. AFP
