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The National
03-06-2025
- General
- The National
At least 24 killed and 200 injured near Gaza aid distribution centre in Rafah
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza At least 24 Palestinians were killed waiting for aid at a distribution centre, after Israeli troops opened fire in Gaza's southern city of Rafah early on Tuesday morning, the enclave's Health Ministry said. "Israeli artillery and aircraft fired shells and gunfire at displaced people as they waited for aid near a humanitarian aid distribution point," the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported, adding that 200 others were injured. This comes after 31 people were killed on Sunday in a similar incident near a distribution centre run by the controversial US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Another three were killed on Monday. The Israeli military said on social media it fired shots at individuals about half a kilometre from the distribution complex after "identifying a number of suspects moving towards forces". "Reports of casualties are known, details of the incident are under investigation," it added. The military said it does "not prevent Gaza residents from reaching the aid distribution complexes." Israel's army first said it was unaware of the casualties caused on Sunday, then said its troops did not fire at civilians "near or within" the food bank in the south of Gaza, adding that "reports to this effect are false". The UN has criticised the aid distribution plan, which leaves the usual co-ordinators such as Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA out of the loop. Little is known about the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and aid groups say it endangers rather than helps civilians by delivering food through narrow, militarised corridors.
Arab News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israeli forces have demolished 600 Palestinian houses in Jenin since January offensive
LONDON: Israeli forces have demolished nearly 600 Palestinian houses in the Jenin refugee camp, according to the town municipality, where Israel has been carrying out military operations for the past 118 days. On Sunday, forces intensified dredging and destruction operations in the Jenin refugee camp, causing significant damage to its water and electricity infrastructure and main roads, while continuing to block access to the area. The Jenin Municipality has documented the total destruction of 600 houses in the camp, while others were either partially damaged or have been abandoned by residents since Israel launched a major offensive in January. The neighborhoods of Al-Sharqi and Al-Hadaf sustained the heaviest damage — to shops, houses and infrastructure — the Wafa news agency reported. Also on Sunday, Israeli forces arrested Yasmeen Shaaban at her home in Al-Jalameh village, north of Jenin. Shaaban, who spent 21 months in prison, was released in November 2023 during the first temporary truce and captive-exchange arrangement between Israel and Hamas. The municipality reported that 22,000 people are displaced in Jenin as Israeli forces increase enforcement in the town and its refugee camp. The military operation has caused heavy losses to businesses in Jenin, leading to many shop closures and a decrease in shopper footfall from nearby villages, with an estimated loss of $300 million. Since Israel launched its offensive on January 21 in Jenin, at least 40 people have been killed, while hundreds have been arrested and injured.
The National
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Gaza journalist killed in Israeli air strike on Nasser hospital
Palestinian journalist Hassan Eslaih was killed on Tuesday in an early morning air strike on Al Nasser Hospital, in southern Gaza, as he was being treated for injuries from a previous Israeli attack at the same site last month. The Israeli military named Eslaih, 38, as the target of its April 7 strike on tents used by Palestinian media in the hospital compound, with the attack killing two of his fellow journalists. After the latest strike on Tuesday, the military said only that it targeted members of Hamas who were 'operating in a command and control complex established in the area' of the hospital, in Khan Younis. Images of the scene of the strike, which also injured civilians, showed a hospital ward littered with rubble and damaged wiring and pipes. Israel accused Eslaih of participating in the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that led to the devastating war in Gaza. He took a photo next to an Israeli tank and live-streamed video of people crossing the border into southern Israel. Eslaih, originally from Khan Younis, worked as freelancer for local and international media. He also had a wide reach on social media, with about 580,000 followers on Instagram. He was married with a son and three daughters. His death increases the number of journalists killed since the start of the war to 213, the Wafa news agency reported. Local journalists are a key source of information on the effects of the conflict after Israel restricted access to international media outlets. The Palestinian Journalists Protection Centre condemned Eslaih's killing as 'a heinous assassination' and called for an urgent international investigation. 'We call for immediate legal and field protections for Palestinian journalists and for those responsible to be held accountable under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,' the centre said. Journalist Hani Al Shaeer, a close friend of Eslaih, said 'he was kind. He was simple. And he was brave". 'After he was targeted and injured, we begged him to stay in a safe place and focus on his recovery, but he insisted on continuing. He believed the truth had to be told," Al Shaeer told The National. Israel "tried to silence him in every way", including getting his social media accounts shut down through complaints, Al Shaeer added. 'But he carried on. He was worried, of course. But he never backed down.' As news of his death spread, social media was flooded with tributes, as well as photos and videos highlighting his work. "Hassan didn't just write reports, he was writing history. He documented with his own blood what the machinery of war tried to erase," Facebook user Mohammed Awad said in a post. Al Shaeer said Eslaih "moved tirelessly between the north and south of Gaza, carrying the stories of the people, sharing the truth when few could. Today, we didn't just lose a journalist. We lost a lifeline. A voice. A friend.'
