International
Israel sustains strikes on Gaza, fears of wider war grow
Israel sustains strikes on Gaza, fears of wider war grow
CAIRO: Israeli forces pressed on with their operations near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Monday amid an international push for a deal to halt the fighting in Gaza and block a slide into a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies.
Palestinian medics said Israeli military strikes on several areas of Khan Younis on Monday killed at least 16 people and wounded several. Meanwhile more families and displaced persons streamed out of areas threatened by new evacuation orders telling people to clear the area.
As fighting continued in several areas of the Gaza Strip, Hamas reacted skeptically to the latest round of Egyptian and Qatari-brokered talks due on Thursday, saying it has seen no sign of movement from the Israeli side.
The group said in a statement on Sunday mediators must force Israel to accept a ceasefire proposal based on ideas by US President Joe Biden, which Hamas had accepted, “instead of pursuing further rounds of negotiations or new proposals that would provide cover for the occupation’s aggression.”
Two sources close to Hamas said the group was convinced the new call for talks was coordinated beforehand with Israel to deter responses from Iran and Hezbollah to the assassination of the group’s chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a top Hezbollah leader in Lebanon.
“It is a mild rejection you can say. Should Hamas receive a workable plan, an Israeli positive response to the proposal it had accepted, things may change, but so far Hamas believes Netanyahu isn’t serious about reaching a deal,” said one Palestinian official close to the mediation effort.
READ ALSO:
- FBI probes allegations of Iran hacking Trump campaign emails
- Two women arrested in Ogun over abduction of Chinese expatriates
- NASENI offers 50% CNG conversion discount to new app e-hailing drivers
Hamas’ reaction to the talks came as preparations for a larger scale confrontation grew, with Washington ordering a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and the Abraham Lincoln strike group accelerating its deployment to the region.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that Iran was making preparations for a large-scale military attack on Israel, Barack Ravid, a normally well-sourced reporter for Axios News reported on Twitter.
Israel has been braced for a major attack since last month when a missile strike killed 12 youngsters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Israel responded by killing a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
A day after that operation, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated in Tehran, drawing Iranian vows of retaliation against Israel.
The potential escalation underlined how far the Middle East has been thrown into turmoil by the war in Gaza, now into its 11th month.
The Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip killed some 1,200 people, with more than 250 taken into captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies, in one of the most devastating blows against Israel in its history.
In response, Israeli forces have flattened Gaza, displaced most of the population and killed around 40,000 people, according to the Palestinian health ministry, in a war that has caused horror around the world.
On Saturday, scores of people were killed in Israeli strikes on a school building in Gaza City that the military said targeted fighters from the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Gaza health officials say most of the fatalities have been civilians but Israel says at least a third are fighters. Israel says it has lost 329 soldiers in Gaza.
Israel sustains strikes on Gaza, fears of wider war grow
ARAB NEWS
International
Nurse escapes gang-rape attempt in Indian hospital, cuts doctor’s private parts with blade
Nurse escapes gang-rape attempt in Indian hospital, cuts doctor’s private parts with blade
A month after a trainee doctor was raped and m8rdered in Kolkata, India, sparking anger and protests nationwide, a gang-rape attempt was made on a nurse at a private hospital in Bihar.
Police said one of the assaulters is a doctor who is also the administrator of the institution. However, the nurse managed to escape after inflicting a cut on his private parts with a blade.
The nurse was wrapping up work at the RBS Health Care Centre in Gangapur under the Musrighararari police station limits in Samastipur district on Wednesday night when hospital administrator Dr Sanjay Kumar (pictured) and two of his associates – all of whom were drunk – tried to r@pr her.
Trying to free herself from the clutches of Dr Kumar and the others, the nurse used a blade to slash at the doctor’s genitals.
READ ALSO:
- Kidnappers kill hotel owner, manager, guest after collecting N25m ransom
- Five Chinese arrested in Akwa Ibom for illegal mining
- Tito, Michael Jackson’s brother, member of Jackson 5, is dead
She managed to escape and dial the police after hiding in a field outside the hospital
Deputy Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar Pandey said a team was rushed to the hospital and, after making sure that the nurse was safe, three people were arrested, including the doctor. The other two accused have been identified as Sunil Kumar Gupta and Awadhesh Kumar.
Mr Pandey said the men had locked the hospital from the inside and turned off the CCTV cameras before trying to s3xually ass@ult the nurse.
“The presence of mind and courage shown by the survivor is praiseworthy,” he said.
The police have recovered half a bottle of liquor, the blade used by the nurse, blood-stained clothes and three cellphones.
Officials said the three men had been drinking before trying to assault the nurse and they will also be charged under prohibition laws because Bihar is a dry state.
Doctor Sanjay is also the organization minister of Hindu Samaj Party.
Nurse escapes gang-rape attempt in Indian hospital, cuts doctor’s private parts with blade
International
Israeli leaflets tell south Lebanon residents to evacuate
Israeli leaflets tell south Lebanon residents to evacuate
BEIRUT: Israel dropped leaflets over a Lebanon border village Sunday urging residents to leave, state-run media said, but Israel’s military told AFP a brigade had taken the initiative without approval.
It was the first time Israelis had told residents of south Lebanon to evacuate in 11 months of cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israel over the Gaza war, triggered by Hezbollah ally Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
“The Israeli enemy dropped leaflets over Wazzani calling on those in the area and its surroundings to evacuate,” the official National News Agency said, referring to a southern border village.
Wazzani mayor Ahmed Al-Mohammed shared with AFP a picture of the leaflets that showed a map of the region with the areas marked for evacuation marked in red.
The leaflet read in Arabic: “To all residents and refugees living in the area of the camps, Hezbollah is firing from your region. You must immediately leave your homes and head north of the Khiam region before 04:00 p.m. (1300 GMT). Do not return to this area until the end of the war.”
READ ALSO:
- Edo poll: Six persons arrested in Benin hotel with fake PDP letterheads, forged signatures
- Summon elders meeting over Benue APC Crisis, ex-Senate president tells Ganduje
- JUST IN: Northern regions to pay more for petrol after NNPC announces Dangote price
It added: “Anyone present in this area after this time will be considered a terrorist.”
Wazzani is an agricultural region where Syrians are often hired to work the land.
Asked about the incident, an Israeli military spokeswoman said the leaflets had been dropped by drone in an area from which rockets had been fired into northern Israel.
“This was an initiative of the 769 Brigade, it was not approved by the Northern Command. An investigation has been opened,” she added.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli aircraft regularly drop leaflets urging residents to evacuate before an attack.
On Saturday, Hezbollah’s second-in-command Naim Qassem warned that an all-out war by Israel aimed at returning 100,000 displaced people to their homes in areas near the Lebanon border would displace “hundreds of thousands” more Israelis.
The cross-border violence since early October has killed 623 people in Lebanon, mostly fighters but also including at least 141 civilians, according to an AFP tally.
On the Israeli side, including in the annexed Golan Heights, authorities have announced the deaths of at least 24 soldiers and 26 civilians.
Israeli leaflets tell south Lebanon residents to evacuate
ARAB NEWS
International
Deadly floods hit Central, Eastern Europe
Deadly floods hit Central, Eastern Europe
A firefighter died during a flood rescue in Austria and one person drowned in Poland, as torrential rain caused by Storm Boris continued to wreak havoc across Central and Eastern Europe.
In Romania, five people have died, while several remain unaccounted for in the Czech Republic.
The Austrian province surrounding Vienna has been declared a disaster area, with its leaders speaking of “an unprecedented extreme situation”.
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk declared a state of natural disaster.
-
metro1 day ago
FG begins free CNG conversion in three Ogun centres
-
Politics2 days ago
I’ve no apologies threatening to destabilise PDP states, says Wike
-
Business1 day ago
Petrol: Dangote pump price emerges as NNPC trucks begin loading
-
Business2 days ago
100 NNPC trucks arrive at Dangote Refinery to lift petrol, 200 more expected (Photos)
-
Business2 days ago
Updated: Dangote refinery to begin petrol supply Sunday, signs agreement with NNPCL
-
News1 day ago
Dangote fuel supply forces Scotland refinery to announce shutdown date
-
metro1 day ago
Men beware – Lack of sex can make your wife miserable, angry
-
Education2 days ago
Lagos govt raises boarding fee to N100,000/term after parents have paid N35,000