Urgent: Israeli, Syrian leaders agree to ceasefire: U.S. ambassador to Türkiye
"We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbors," he said on X.
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The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Roundup: News photography exhibition featuring China-Mexico exchanges kicks off in Mexico City
MEXICO CITY, July 20 (Xinhua) -- A news photo exhibition, co-organized by Xinhua News Agency and the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, kicked off here on Friday. The event, held in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies and attended by more than 100 guests from various sectors in Mexico, highlighted key moments in China-Mexico and China-Latin America exchanges, providing a panoramic view of the development of China-Latin America relations and the historical milestones in the process of Chinese modernization. In his speech, President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Mexico over half a century ago, especially since the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership in 2013, political mutual trust between the two countries has deepened, and friendly exchanges in various fields have been strengthened. The tree of friendship between China and Mexico has flourished, bearing rich fruit and bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries, he said. As the two countries move forward together, Xinhua News Agency and its Mexican branches have faithfully recorded touching stories of friendly exchanges and win-win cooperation between China and Mexico with pens and lenses, presenting to the world the profound friendship of the people of the two countries who understand each other and stand together through thick and thin, he added. Dolores Padierna, vice president of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, said this exhibition, through the lenses of Xinhua journalists, showcases the rapid development of China's society and economy and the vitality of Chinese culture on the global stage. The images not only document the practice of the one-China principle, but also present the genuine interaction of mutual appreciation between the two major civilizations of Mexico and China, said Padierna. As an important witness and participant in the bilateral exchanges, Xinhua has played an active role in promoting cooperation and people-to-people bonds between the two countries, she added. Chen Daojiang, Chinese Ambassador to Mexico, said that the vastness of the Pacific Ocean has never hindered the communication between the people of China and Mexico. These photos are the witnesses of political mutual trust, the footnote of economic complementarity, the outcome of cultural integration, and above all, the most direct and touching expressions of people-to-people friendship, the ambassador noted. They are like mirrors, reflecting the historical development of the bilateral relations, Chen added. Lidia de la Vega, president of the Culture and Film Commission of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, said Mexico and China have enjoyed longstanding friendship and adhered to mutual respect and open dialogue. The exhibition has built a "visual bridge" for the two countries, which will help deepen the understanding, cooperation and friendship between the two sides, she said. Raymundo Vazquez, president of the Mexico-China Friendship Group of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, believes that the photographs record touching moments and life experiences in human history, which show vivid stories of the friendly exchanges between Mexico and China, and reflect the shared feelings and friendship of the human society.
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
73 Gazans killed by Israeli fire while seeking food
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire on crowds of Palestinians trying to collect humanitarian aid in the war-torn Palestinian territory on Sunday, killing 73 people and wounding dozens more. At least 67 were killed as truckloads of aid arrived in the north, while six others were reported shot near an aid point close to Rafah in the south, where dozens of people lost their lives just 24 hours earlier. The UN World Food Programme said its 25-truck convoy carrying food aid "encountered massive crowds of hungry civilians which came under gunfire" near Gaza City, soon after it crossed from Israel and cleared checkpoints. Israel's military disputed the death toll and said soldiers had fired warning shots "to remove an immediate threat posed to them" as thousands gathered near Gaza City. Deaths of civilians seeking aid have become a regular occurrence in Gaza, with the authorities blaming Israeli fire as crowds facing chronic shortages of food and other essentials flock in huge numbers to aid centres. The UN said earlier this month that nearly 800 aid-seekers had been killed since late May, including on the routes of aid convoys. In Gaza City, Qasem Abu Khater, 36, told AFP he had rushed to try to get a bag of flour but instead found a desperate crowd of thousands and "deadly overcrowding and pushing." "The tanks were firing shells randomly at us and Israeli sniper soldiers were shooting as if they were hunting animals in a forest," he added. "Dozens of people were martyred right before my eyes and no one could save anyone." Civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP the death toll was 67 and expected to rise while the WFP condemned violence against civilians seeking aid as "completely unacceptable." "Israeli forces' gunfire" was responsible for the deaths in the south, he added. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties. The army has maintained that it works to avoid harm to civilians, saying this month that it issued new instructions to its troops on the ground "following lessons learned" from a spate of similar incidents. The war was sparked by Hamas's attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, leading to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed 58,895 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday expressed his regret to Pope Leo XIV after what he described as a "stray" munition killed three people sheltering at the Holy Family Church in Gaza City. At the end of the Angelus prayer on Sunday, the pope slammed the "barbarity" of the Gaza war and called for peace, days after the Israeli strike on the territory's only Catholic church. The strike was part of the "ongoing military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza", he added. "I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations." The Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, held mass at the Gaza church on Sunday after travelling to the devastated territory in a rare visit on Friday. Most of Gaza's population of more than two million people have been displaced at least once during the war and there have been repeated evacuation calls across large parts of the coastal enclave. On Sunday morning, the Israeli military told residents and displaced Palestinians sheltering in the Deir el-Balah area to move south immediately. Israel was "expanding its activities" against Hamas around Deir el-Balah, "where it has not operated before", the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X. The announcement prompted concern from families of hostages held since Oct 7, 2023 that the Israeli offensive could harm their loved ones. Delegations from Israel and Hamas have spent the last two weeks in indirect talks on a proposed 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and the release of 10 living hostages. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.--AFP
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Israeli fire kills 67 aid seekers in Gaza, medics say, as hunger worsens
CAIRO (Reuters): At least 67 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire as they waited for U.N. aid trucks in northern Gaza on Sunday, the Gaza health ministry said, as Israel issued new evacuation orders for areas packed with displaced people. The ministry said dozens of people were also wounded in the incident in northern Gaza. It was one of the highest reported death tolls among repeated recent cases in which aid seekers have been killed, including 36 on Saturday. Another six people were killed near another aid site in the south, it said. Israel's military said its troops had fired warning shots towards a crowd of thousands of people in northern Gaza on Sunday to remove what it said was "an immediate threat". It said initial findings suggested reported casualty figures were inflated, and it "certainly does not intentionally target humanitarian aid trucks". It did not immediately comment on the incident in the south. The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) said that shortly after entering Gaza, a WFP convoy of 25 trucks carrying food aid encountered "massive crowds of hungry civilians" who then came under gunfire. "WFP reiterates that any violence involving civilians seeking humanitarian aid is completely unacceptable," it said in a statement. In total, health authorities said 88 people had been killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes across the enclave on Sunday. DISPLACED GAZANS EVACUATE After Israel's military dropped leaflets urging people to evacuate from neighbourhoods in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah, residents said Israeli planes struck three houses in the area. Dozens of families began leaving their homes, carrying some of their belongings. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans have been sheltering in the Deir al-Balah area. Israel's military said it had not entered the districts subject to the evacuation order during the current conflict and that it was continuing "to operate with great force to destroy the enemy's capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area". Israeli sources have said the reason the army has so far stayed out is because they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to still be alive. Hostage families demanded an explanation from the army. "Can anyone (promise) to us that this decision will not come at the cost of losing our loved ones?" the families said in a statement. ACCELERATING STARVATION Much of Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland during more than 21 months of war and there are fears of accelerating starvation. Palestinian health officials said hundreds of people could soon die as hospitals were inundated with patients suffering from dizziness and exhaustion due to the scarcity of food and a collapse in aid deliveries. "We warn that hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger," said the health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas. The United Nations also said on Sunday that civilians were starving and needed an urgent influx of aid. Pope Leo called for an end to the "barbarity of war" as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic church in Gaza that killed three people on Thursday. Gaza residents said it was becoming impossible to find essential food such as flour. The health ministry said at least 71 children had died of malnutrition during the war, and 60,000 others were suffering from symptoms of malnutrition. Later on Sunday, it said 18 people have died of hunger in the past 24 hours. Food prices have increased well beyond what most of the population of more than two million can afford. Several people who spoke to Reuters via chat apps said they either had one meal or no meal in the past 24 hours. "As a father, I wake up in the early morning to look for food, for even a loaf of bread for my five children, but all in vain," said Ziad, a nurse. "People who didn't die of bombs will die of hunger. We want an end to this war now, a truce, even for two months," he told Reuters. Others said they felt dizzy walking in the streets and that many fainted as they walked. Fathers leave tents to avoid questions by their children about what to eat. UNRWA, the U.N. refugee agency dedicated to Palestinians, demanded Israel allow more aid trucks into Gaza, saying it had enough food for the entire population for over three months which was not allowed in. Israel's military said that it "views the transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip as a matter of utmost importance, and works to enable and facilitate its entry in coordination with the international community". TRUCE TALKS Some Palestinians suggested the move on Deir al-Balah might be an attempt to put pressure on Hamas to make more concessions in long-running ceasefire negotiations. Israel and Hamas are engaged in indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a 60-day truce and hostage deal, although there has been no sign of breakthrough. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza. The Israeli military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to health officials, displaced almost the entire population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis. (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Crispian Balmer Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York and Keith Weir; Editing by Crispian Balmer, Aidan Lewis and Helen Popper) - Reuters
