Latest news with #RehabilitationDepartment
Express Tribune
24-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Sindh Resilience Project encounters delays
Launched in 2016 with the support of the World Bank, the Sindh Resilience Project had aimed to reduce the risk and impact of floods and droughts in the province by increasing the capacity of relevant institutions to deal with natural disasters. The project, costing 202 million US dollars, was to be completed in 2021 however, till date the project remains in limbo. A total of 31 schemes were to be completed under the said project however, only 13 schemes were completed by 2024, while work on 15 others has not even started. Reportedly, the reason behind the delay in the project is a lack of proper planning and negligence in the implementation of the project. The institutions established to deal with natural disasters, the Rehabilitation Department, Sindh, and the Pakistan Disaster Management Authority, Sindh, focus more on relief activities after natural disasters, instead of disaster prevention. District Disaster Management Authorities are working in the districts of the province under the leadership of the respective Deputy Commissioner, but no separate setup of these District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) has been established yet. This is the reason why separate accounts of DDMAs have not been opened in the respective districts, due to which the huge amount spent on the Sindh Resilience Project has not served its true purpose as most of it was used on rehabilitation works after natural disasters. According to the report of the Auditor General of Pakistan, the Pakistan Disaster Management Authority Sindh spent a large part of this money providing flour, sugar and other food items to the flood and drought affected people alongside helping in their relocation. This is in spite of the fact that this money was given by the World Bank to reduce the risks and impacts associated with natural disasters. This is one reason why natural disasters continue to risk lives in the province. According to Naseer Memon, an environmentalist and social worker, the risk of floods looms over Sindh. "The uncertainty of hydro-meteorological disasters is increasing due to changing weather patterns. There has been 50 per cent less rainfall than usual during the last five months. Therefore, the province is at risk of drought in the early days of summer, while Sindh will also face a shortage of agricultural water during the kharif crop season. If there is snowfall in the northern hilly areas during the coming two months, there are chances of improvement in the water level in the Indus River after June. Although the exact flood situation in the Indus River will be known by April, emergency arrangements will have to be made in Sindh in light of past experience," said Memon. According to Member of Sindh Assembly and Parliamentary Secretary for Relief and Rehabilitation Muhammad Ismail Rahu, work has been done to reduce the risks and effects of floods and droughts in Sindh. "The risk of natural disasters has increased due to climate change globally. It will take time to reduce the effects of floods and droughts in our country," said Rahu.
Saba Yemen
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Report on extent of injuries & "heavy price" paid by occupation soldiers in Gaza
Occupied Quds - Saba: The media of the Zionist enemy published a report revealing the extent of injuries and the "heavy price" paid by the Zionist soldiers in the Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip. The Hebrew newspaper "Maariv" reported last monday that: "After 500 days have passed since the outbreak of the "Iron Swords" war on October 7, updated data issued by the Rehabilitation Department in the Ministry of War and the occupation army reveals a bleak picture of the extent of injuries and the heavy price they paid. The newspaper indicated that since the beginning of the aggression, 846 members of the Zionist occupation forces have fallen, while 15,000 others have been injured with varying degrees of injuries, including 8,600 with physical injuries, while others suffer from psychological trauma including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and adjustment disorders." It also indicated that "of all the injured, 7% are women and 93% are men." Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Ammon
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Ammon
From Gaza to the West Bank: Israel's unyielding war machine
"A year of combat" — this is how Israel's new Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, described 2025 at a conference organised by the Israeli ministry of defence. The exact sentence, translated from Hebrew, was: "The year 2025 will continue to be a year of combat." The word 'continue' is crucial, suggesting that Israel will resume its wars, despite ceasefire agreements signed with the Lebanese government in November and Palestinian groups in January. In other words, it seems that Zamir is signaling that Israel will reopen these two fronts, even in the face of ceasefire deals. Despite Israel's insatiable appetite for war, it is hard to imagine what the Israeli army could achieve through renewed violence when it has already failed to accomplish its objectives in nearly 14 months in Lebanon and over 15 months in Gaza. Israel launched thousands of airstrikes on Lebanon, destroying entire towns and villages and killing and wounding thousands. It also dropped over 85,000 tons of bombs on Gaza, leading to the unprecedented genocide and the killing and wounding of over 170,000. Despite this, Israel has failed on both fronts. In Gaza, as reported by Reuters, Hamas alone managed to recruit up to 15,000 fighters just before the end of Israel's 471st day of relentless warfare. Furthermore, the return of nearly one million Palestinians to northern Gaza has reset Israel's so-called tactical or strategic achievements. These efforts, aimed at depopulating northern Gaza to create permanent military buffer zones, were reversed by the population's return. The war also came at a staggering cost to the Israeli army. Ironically, during the same ministry of defense conference, Zamir revealed the actual costs of Israel's wars in the past year. He stated that the ministry 'now provides care for 5,942 new bereaved family members,', adding that the 'Rehabilitation Department has taken in over 15,000 wounded service members, many bearing both physical and mental scars from the war.' These figures were not broken down by category or war front and did not include casualties from October 7, 2023, to the end of the year. However, they represent the highest estimate of Israeli casualties provided to date, raising the question: Can Israel afford to return to war? Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who was dismissed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on November 5, offered clues about Israel's military crisis during an interview on Channel 12. Gallant recalled a conversation he had with Netanyahu after the Hamas assault on the Gaza Envelope region in southern Israel. 'The prime minister told me that we would see thousands of dead in the offensive in Gaza. I told him: We will not see thousands of dead,' Gallant said. Zamir's numbers, however, have now validated Netanyahu's estimates, not Gallant's. Another early fear of Netanyahu was that 'Hezbollah will destroy everything if we hit it,' referring to the city of Tel Aviv. While that particular prediction did not fully materialize, the stalemate in Lebanon ensures Israel will remain haunted by similar fears. So, will 2025 be a year of combat for Israel? Netanyahu faces a twofold challenge: if all war fronts officially end, his government will collapse; but if he returns to active war, he will fail to claim any decisive victory. It is possible that Zamir's "year of combat" doctrine is aimed at saving face—projecting strength without reopening major war fronts. Israel may continue to create crises in Gaza and Lebanon without fully engaging in war, perhaps by delaying scheduled withdrawals, adding new demands, and so on. But this may not be enough for Netanyahu to stay in power, especially in the face of growing dissatisfaction. This is where the Iron Wall, Israel's ongoing military operation in the West Bank, comes into play. Though Israel has launched numerous raids in the West Bank, the January 21 campaign was directly linked to the war in Gaza. It began two days after the latest ceasefire, signaling that a large deployment of Israeli forces in the West Bank was meant to offset reduced combat in Gaza. It also served to distract from Israel's sense of failure in Gaza, as described by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who quit Netanyahu's coalition on January 19. The war in the West Bank, centered in the refugee camp of Jenin, has used tactics similar to those employed in Gaza. Tens of thousands have been displaced from Jenin, Tulkarm, and other northern West Bank regions; hundreds have been killed, wounded, and had their homes demolished. The Israeli army seems to be attempting to compensate for its failure to ethnically cleanse Gaza by displacing entire communities in the West Bank. If Israel persists in making 2025 a "year of combat" focused on the West Bank, the consequences could be dire, especially for an army that has already suffered unprecedented losses on multiple fronts. If Israel continues on this path, an all-out uprising may become imminent, and new, unexpected fronts could open up simultaneously. Israel must be reined in. It is acting like a wounded animal and, in doing so, it continues to kill Palestinians in the name of security while destabilizing the entire Middle East. Netanyahu must be stopped. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is 'Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out'. His other books include 'My Father was a Freedom Fighter' and 'The Last Earth'. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is
Jordan Times
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
From Gaza to the West Bank: Israel's unyielding war machine
"A year of combat" — this is how Israel's new Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, described 2025 at a conference organised by the Israeli ministry of defence. The exact sentence, translated from Hebrew, was: "The year 2025 will continue to be a year of combat." The word 'continue' is crucial, suggesting that Israel will resume its wars, despite ceasefire agreements signed with the Lebanese government in November and Palestinian groups in January. In other words, it seems that Zamir is signaling that Israel will reopen these two fronts, even in the face of ceasefire deals. Despite Israel's insatiable appetite for war, it is hard to imagine what the Israeli army could achieve through renewed violence when it has already failed to accomplish its objectives in nearly 14 months in Lebanon and over 15 months in Gaza. Israel launched thousands of airstrikes on Lebanon, destroying entire towns and villages and killing and wounding thousands. It also dropped over 85,000 tons of bombs on Gaza, leading to the unprecedented genocide and the killing and wounding of over 170,000. Despite this, Israel has failed on both fronts. In Gaza, as reported by Reuters, Hamas alone managed to recruit up to 15,000 fighters just before the end of Israel's 471st day of relentless warfare. Furthermore, the return of nearly one million Palestinians to northern Gaza has reset Israel's so-called tactical or strategic achievements. These efforts, aimed at depopulating northern Gaza to create permanent military buffer zones, were reversed by the population's return. The war also came at a staggering cost to the Israeli army. Ironically, during the same ministry of defense conference, Zamir revealed the actual costs of Israel's wars in the past year. He stated that the ministry 'now provides care for 5,942 new bereaved family members,', adding that the 'Rehabilitation Department has taken in over 15,000 wounded service members, many bearing both physical and mental scars from the war.' These figures were not broken down by category or war front and did not include casualties from October 7, 2023, to the end of the year. However, they represent the highest estimate of Israeli casualties provided to date, raising the question: Can Israel afford to return to war? Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who was dismissed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on November 5, offered clues about Israel's military crisis during an interview on Channel 12. Gallant recalled a conversation he had with Netanyahu after the Hamas assault on the Gaza Envelope region in southern Israel. 'The prime minister told me that we would see thousands of dead in the offensive in Gaza. I told him: We will not see thousands of dead,' Gallant said. Zamir's numbers, however, have now validated Netanyahu's estimates, not Gallant's. Another early fear of Netanyahu was that 'Hezbollah will destroy everything if we hit it,' referring to the city of Tel Aviv. While that particular prediction did not fully materialize, the stalemate in Lebanon ensures Israel will remain haunted by similar fears. So, will 2025 be a year of combat for Israel? Netanyahu faces a twofold challenge: if all war fronts officially end, his government will collapse; but if he returns to active war, he will fail to claim any decisive victory. It is possible that Zamir's "year of combat" doctrine is aimed at saving face—projecting strength without reopening major war fronts. Israel may continue to create crises in Gaza and Lebanon without fully engaging in war, perhaps by delaying scheduled withdrawals, adding new demands, and so on. But this may not be enough for Netanyahu to stay in power, especially in the face of growing dissatisfaction. This is where the Iron Wall, Israel's ongoing military operation in the West Bank, comes into play. Though Israel has launched numerous raids in the West Bank, the January 21 campaign was directly linked to the war in Gaza. It began two days after the latest ceasefire, signaling that a large deployment of Israeli forces in the West Bank was meant to offset reduced combat in Gaza. It also served to distract from Israel's sense of failure in Gaza, as described by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who quit Netanyahu's coalition on January 19. The war in the West Bank, centered in the refugee camp of Jenin, has used tactics similar to those employed in Gaza. Tens of thousands have been displaced from Jenin, Tulkarm, and other northern West Bank regions; hundreds have been killed, wounded, and had their homes demolished. The Israeli army seems to be attempting to compensate for its failure to ethnically cleanse Gaza by displacing entire communities in the West Bank. If Israel persists in making 2025 a "year of combat" focused on the West Bank, the consequences could be dire, especially for an army that has already suffered unprecedented losses on multiple fronts. If Israel continues on this path, an all-out uprising may become imminent, and new, unexpected fronts could open up simultaneously. Israel must be reined in. It is acting like a wounded animal and, in doing so, it continues to kill Palestinians in the name of security while destabilizing the entire Middle East. Netanyahu must be stopped. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is ' Our Vision for Liberation : Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out'. His other books include 'My Father was a Freedom Fighter' and 'The Last Earth'. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is
