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☆ Israeli minister says ground offensive in Rafah will begin by Ramadan if hostages aren’t returned
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Mohammed Tawfeeq | Lauren Izso | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Israel will expand military operations in the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah if hostages held by Hamas are not returned by the start of Ramadan, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has warned. Israel believes that 130 hostages remain in Gaza – 101 alive and 29 dead – following Hamas’ October 7 attacks, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel. The comments come amid stuttering talks aimed at securing the release of hostages and a longer-term ceasefire in Gaza. Egypt’s security buildup comes amid fears of the war spilling over into its territory should Israel begin its operation in Rafah. The Israeli military said it had credible evidence that Hamas had previously held hostages at the hospital, and that the bodies of deceased hostages may be at the medical complex.

Persons: CNN —, Benny Gantz, Ramadan, ” Gantz, “, Israel, ’, Israel’s, Israel –, Benjamin Netanyahu, Khan Younis, Mohammed Salem, Martin Griffiths, Sameh Shoukry, ” Shoukry, Abed Rahim Khatib Organizations: CNN, Hamas, United Nations, Sunday, Sky News, Anadolu, Getty, Hospital Locations: CNN — Israel, Gazan, Rafah, Jerusalem, Gaza, Israel, “, Nasser, Khan, United States, ”, Egypt

☆ US proposes a ‘temporary ceasefire’ in Gaza in draft UN resolution
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Richard Roth | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The US draft comes after it had vowed to veto an Algerian draft proposal calling for an immediate ceasefire. According to the text of the US-proposed draft, which CNN has seen, the US is calling for a “temporary ceasefire in Gaza as soon as practicable,” which falls short of the wishes of most other Security Council members who want an immediate ceasefire. It has also voted against at least two Security Council resolutions on the war. The US resolution “underscores its support for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza as soon as practicable, based on the formula of all hostages being released.”The US, they said, will redouble efforts to negotiate on the ground. The US draft, which also calls for the release of Israeli hostages, will be privately discussed on Tuesday.

Persons: ”, “, Joe Biden, he’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu Organizations: New, New York CNN, United Nations Security, CNN, Israel Locations: New York, United States, Rafah, Gaza, Israel

☆ Israel's Six-Week Drive to Hit Hamas in Rafah and Scale Back War
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +10 min

Gaza's ruling group can keep fighting and is prepared for a long war in Rafah and Gaza, said the official, who requested anonymity. A senior regional security official said Israel believed some Hamas commanders and hostages were in Rafah. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron also told lawmakers that Britain and its allies "will look at the issue of recognising a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations". Yet for Netanyahu and many other Israeli officials, talk of a two-state solution amounts to a betrayal of the people killed on Oct. 7. "I say clearly to anyone still stuck in October 6: We will never lend a hand to the creation of a Palestinian state," Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar said on social media last month.

Persons: Samia Nakhoul, Jonathan Saul, Humeyra Pamuk, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Avi Melamed, Yoav Gallant, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Biden, Gaza's, hasn't, Israel . Fighting, Khan Younis, Emad Joudat, Gallant, Israel, Yahya Sinwar, Antony Blinken, Washington, David Cameron, Britain haven't, Miki Zohar, Dan Williams, Nidal Al Mughrabi, Andrew Hay, Jeff Mason, Pravin Char Organizations: Humeyra Pamuk DOHA, Reuters, Military, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Israeli, America, . Senior, Palestinian Authority, State Department, Israel, United Nations Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Washington, Qatar, RAFAH, Hamas, Khan, Gaza City, Egypt, Cairo, U.S, Palestinian, Britain, Palestine, Doha, London, Jerusalem

☆ Diapers Instead of Bridal Gowns: Gaza Tailors Adapt to Wartime Needs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

"There are 1.5 million displaced people in Rafah city and there are no Pampers," said Yasser Abu Gharara, owner of the tailoring workshop now making diapers. "We are not only talking about diapers for babies, but also for the elderly and people with disabilities," he said. For displaced people living in tent camps, the dearth of diapers has been worsening the daily struggle to keep babies and toddlers clean and dry. Hany Subh, a displaced father, said he was looking for diapers in the market every day, but the prices were too high. The war has reduced much of the enclave to rubble and caused what the U.N. has called a humanitarian catastrophe.

Persons: Mohammed Salem, Yasser Abu Gharara, Abu Gharara, Inas Al, Masry, Estelle Shirbon, William Maclean Locations: Mohammed Salem RAFAH, Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Israel

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Chris Lau | Andrew Raine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza’s southernmost Rafah city are reportedly fleeing towards northern Deir al Balah as Israeli airstrikes intensify amid the prospect of ground operations, according to a UN body. “Intensified airstrikes on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population are crammed into less than 20 per cent of the Gaza Strip, and statements by Israeli officials about a ground operation in Gaza have reportedly led to the movement of people out of Gaza’s southernmost governorate toward Deir al Balah,” said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Earlier on Friday, former Israeli prime minister and current war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said Israel “won’t stop” until all hostages are returned, even if that means continuing hostilities during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He added that Israel is preparing for a military incursion into Gaza and will act “in dialogue” with its partners, including Egypt, and “direct the population to protected areas.”In a separate statement on Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told reporters that Israel had “no intention” of sending Palestinians into Egypt as part of an evacuation of Rafah, the focus of its next military offensive. Gallant provided no details about a potential evacuation but said “we are thoroughly planning future operations in Rafah, which is a significant Hamas stronghold.”Israeli officials have said the military is working on a detailed plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah ahead of a planned offensive there but have yet to share details.

Persons: Balah, “, Deir al Balah, ”, Benny Gantz, Israel “, Yoav Gallant, Israel, Gallant Organizations: UN, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Israeli Locations: Gaza’s, Rafah, Deir, Gaza, Israel, Egypt

☆ Netanyahu Says He Won’t Bow to Pressure to Call Off Rafah Invasion
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Adam Rasgon | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel insisted on Saturday that Israel would not bow to international pressure to call off its plan for a ground invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza that is now packed with more than a million Palestinians. Many of the people now in Rafah are displaced and living in schools, tents or the homes of friends and relatives, part of a desperate search for any safe refuge from Israel’s military campaign, which has dragged on for more than four months. Their lives are a daily struggle to find enough food and water to survive. “Those who want to prevent us from operating in Rafah are basically telling us: Lose the war,” Mr. Netanyahu said at a news conference in Jerusalem on Saturday evening. They filled the same street where mass protests against Mr. Netanyahu’s efforts to weaken the country’s judiciary riled the nation before the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mr, Netanyahu, “, ” Organizations: riled Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Israel

☆ The Ukraine war grinds on — 4 ways the conflict with Russia could end
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian president has also indirectly suggested a cease-fire, something that the US has refused to consider unless Ukraine is involved in discussions, Reuters reported. Nuclear warPutin has made several threats of using nuclear weapons since the invasion began, but the West is divided on how seriously to take his comments. Jones said the risks of breaking the ultimate nuclear weapons taboo would likely outweigh any benefits. I think the US has already communicated pretty forcefully that all bets are off if Russia were to use nuclear weapons," he added.

Persons: It's, —, Max Bergmann, Bergmann, Caesar Kunikov, Eliot A, Cohen, Arleigh, Burke, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, Putin, Adrienne Watson, Seth Jones, Jones, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: Service, Bakhmut, Eurasia Program, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Representatives, Russia's, CSIS, Nazi, Reuters, Ukrainian, Bloomberg, Kremlin, National Security Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Europe, Russian, YORUK, Nazi Germany, Red, Moscow, United States

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has not presented specific evidence that Hamas is diverting U.N. aid and its recent targeted killings of Gaza police commanders safeguarding truck convoys have made it “virtually impossible” to distribute the goods safely, a top U.S. envoy said in rare public criticism of Israel. “We are working with the Israeli government, the Israeli military in seeing what solutions can be found here because everyone wants to see the assistance continue,” Satterfield told the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Friday. On Friday, police opened fire after a crowd charged toward an aid truck that had emerged from the Rafah crossing with Egypt. Israel has alleged repeatedly that Hamas is diverting aid, including fuel, after it enters Gaza, a claim denied by U.N. aid agencies. Last week, an Israeli airstrike on a car killed three senior police commanders in Rafah, the first entry point for aid deliveries.

Persons: — Israel, Israel, David Satterfield, Biden, ” Satterfield, Wael Abu Omar, Satterfield, Joe Biden, Diaa Rashwan, Khan Younis, Gaza’s, city's Nasser, ___ Magdy Organizations: Carnegie Endowment, International, Authority, U.N, Hamas, Ministry, Islamic, Authorities, State Information Service, Gaza Health Ministry, Health Ministry Locations: RAFAH, Gaza, U.S, Rafah, Egypt, Israel, EGYPT, Khan, Cairo, ___, israel

Munich, Germany CNN —Hamas’s demands for a hostage deal are “delusional” and need to be “close to reality,” Israel’s Coordinator for the Captives and the Missing, Gal Hirsch, told CNN Saturday. But Hamas’s demands are disconnected from reality - delusional,” the former Israel Defense Forces commander said in an interview with CNN’s Alex Marquardt at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. He suggested that, though Israel and Hamas had previously agreed on a deal to supply medication to Israeli hostages, the hostages did not receive this medication. Hamas will be dismantled, but we would like very much to make a deal and to bring our hostages back home. “They wanted very much to break the potential deal just as they did in the previous one,” he suggested.

Persons: Germany CNN —, ”, Gal Hirsch, CNN’s Alex Marquardt, counteroffer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Hirsch, ” Hirsch, Khan Younis, “, Martin Meissner, Marquardt, Deir al Balah Organizations: Germany CNN, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, Munich, Israeli, Minister’s, Hamas, Nasser, IDF, UN Locations: Munich, Germany, Gaza, Israel, Israel’s, Khan, The Hague, Netherlands, Rafah, Deir al

☆ Prominent Black Church Leaders Call for End of U.S. Aid to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Audra D. S. Burch | Maya King | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Black churches and other faith groups have pushed for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war for months in advertisements, open letters and social media campaigns. Black faith leaders across denominations have amplified their calls as the number of dead rises. More than 28,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to health officials there, many of them women and children. But the A.M.E. council’s statement goes further than a cease-fire demand, insisting that the United States immediately stop its financial support of Israel. It came as Israeli forces pushed into southern Gaza and prepared for a ground assault on Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians are trapped.

Persons: Bishop Stafford J Organizations: African Methodist Episcopal Church, church’s, of Bishops Locations: United States, Israel, Gaza, Rafah

☆ Two Dead, Scores Injured After Police Open Fire in India's Manipur State
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Tora AgarwalaGUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - At least two people were killed and scores injured in India's northeastern Manipur state after security forces opened fire at a mob in Churachandpur district late on Thursday, a police official said, as sporadic violence continued in the region. Churachandpur, home to the Kuki-Zo community, was among the first areas in the state to witness ethnic clashes when violence first erupted in May. About 400 people stormed the district police chief's office at around 7.30 p.m. (1400 GMT), demanding the order be revoked. The official said about 25 people were injured, and were being treated in hospital. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), an apex tribal body, warned district police chief Shivanand Surve, who had issued the suspension order, to leave Churachandpur within the next 24 hours.

Persons: Tora Agarwala, Shivanand Surve, Sudipto Ganguly, Kim Coghill Organizations: Security, Authorities, Indigenous Tribal Leaders ' Locations: Tora Agarwala GUWAHATI, India, India's, Manipur, Churachandpur, Kuki, Myanmar

☆ New York Governor Apologizes After Implying Israel Is Justified to Destroy Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

And that is Israel's right." War in Israel and Gaza View All 209 ImagesOn Friday, in a statement cited by the New York Times, she said she regretted her "inappropriate analogy" and apologized for her "poor choice of words." Israel launched its offensive in Hamas-governed Gaza following the Palestinian Islamist group's Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200, according to Israeli tallies. Nearly 29,000 have died in Israel's offensive, according to the Gaza health ministry. The United Nations has called for a humanitarian ceasefire, which the U.S. has opposed, saying it would let Hamas regroup.

Persons: Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Kathy Hochul, Israel, Hochul, Israel's, Kanishka Singh, Srephen Coates Organizations: Canada, United Jewish Appeal, Federation of New, New York Times, The United Nations, . Locations: New, New York City, Gaza, Buffalo, Canada, Federation of New York, Israel, U.S, Washington

☆ Egypt Setting up Area at Gaza Border Which Could Be Used to Shelter Palestinians-Sources
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

One of the sources said Egypt was optimistic talks to clinch a ceasefire can avoid any such scenario, but is establishing the area at the border as a temporary and precautionary measure. War in Israel and Gaza View All 209 ImagesThree security sources said Egypt had begun preparing a desert area with some basic facilities which could be used to shelter Palestinians, emphasising this was a contingency step. Israel has said its army is drawing up a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah to other parts of the Gaza Strip. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said: "The president has been clear that we do not support the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. The Gaza war has piled pressure on relations between Egypt and Israel, which signed a peace deal in 1979.

Persons: Jordan, Martin Griffiths, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Netanyahu, Avi Dichter, Dichter, Al Mawasi, General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Sameh Shoukry, Tom Perry, Edmund Blair, Neil Fullick Organizations: Reuters, United, Egypt's, Service, Sinai Foundation, Human Rights, Israeli, U.S . State Department, ABC News, Israel's Army, Arab League Locations: Egypt, Gaza, Rafah, Cairo, Sinai, United States, Israel, ISRAEL, U.S, The U.S, Jordan

☆ Middle East Crisis Egypt Is Building a Wall Near Gaza Border But Won’t Say Why
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Nada Rashwan | Christiaan Triebert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

A wall is going up in the desert of Egypt near the border of the war-torn Gaza Strip, but no one is talking much about it. Image Construction of a wall along the Egyptian border with Rafah is seen in this satellite imagery. Credit... Maxar TechnologiesThe satellite imagery clearly shows newly graded land south of the Rafah border crossing. And many Palestinians suspect that Israel might not allow people who leave Gaza to come back when the war is over. One Gazan official in Rafah, Ahmed al-Soufi, estimated that there were over 100,000 displaced Palestinians in encampments pressed against the border.

Persons: Gazans, Ahmed al, Martin Griffiths, —, Hisham el, Gen Mohamed Shousha, Ahmed Ezzat, Nick Cumming, Bruce, Adam Rasgon Organizations: The New York Times, Maxar, The Times, Egyptian Army, United Locations: Egypt, Gaza, Rafah, Israel, North Sinai —, North Sinai, Maj, Geneva, Jerusalem

☆ Israel releases names and details of alleged involvement of UNRWA employees in October 7 attacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The additional details also included screengrabs of what Israel said were two UNWRA employees – a social worker and math teacher – in Israel on October 7. The defense ministry also provided ID photos of 10 other alleged Hamas members, their positions and alleged involvement in the deadly incursion, but did not provide any supporting evidence to back up their claims. CNN could not independently verify the identity of the men or Israel’s allegations about their involvement with Hamas. The UNWRA spokesman said the agency annually shares the names, employee numbers and functions of all staff members with Israel. It said the names shared included the names of the 12 individuals identified by Israel in the dossier, and that Israel had not informed UNRWA of those staffers’ alleged involvement with Hamas prior to January.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Israel, –, Khan Younis, Nasser, ”, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, ’ Organizations: CNN, Nasser Hospital, Ministry of Health, United Nations, UNRWA, UN, Israeli, United, Israel, UN Security Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Khan, United States, Hamas’s Deir el

☆ Egypt setting up area at Gaza border which could be used to shelter Palestinians, Reuters reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Israel has said its army is drawing up a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah to other parts of the Gaza Strip. Israel has said it will mount an offensive to take out Hamas's "last bastion" in Rafah, where well over 1 million Palestinians have sought sanctuary from its devastating Gaza offensive. Three security sources said Egypt had begun preparing a desert area with some basic facilities which could be used to shelter Palestinians, emphasizing this was a contingency step. The United States has repeatedly said it would oppose any displacement of Palestinians out of Gaza. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said: "The president has been clear that we do not support the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

Persons: Khan, Israel, Martin Griffiths, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Palestinian Hamas, United, Egypt's, Service, Sinai Foundation, Human Rights, Reuters, Israeli, U.S . State Department Locations: Khan Yunis, Rafah, Gaza, Egypt, Israel, Palestinian, United States, Sinai, Cairo, Jordan, U.S, The U.S

☆ Israel Bombards Gaza, With Biggest Functioning Hospital Under Siege
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

War in Israel and Gaza View All 209 ImagesThe Health Ministry in Gaza said on Friday that five patients at the hospital died in intensive care as a result of power outages and the cessation of oxygen supply. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday it was trying to reach Nasser Hospital, after the Israeli raid. The Gaza Health Ministry said earlier this week that there were 10,000 people sheltering at the hospital but many had left because they feared the Israeli raid was imminent. Gaza's health authorities said Israel had forced out dozens of staff, patients, displaced people and families of medical staff sheltering in the Nasser hospital. The Gaza health ministry said Israeli forces inside Nasser Hospital forced women and children to go into the maternity department, which it had turned into a military area.

Persons: Nidal, Tarik Jasarevic, Nasser, Israel, Ashraf Al, Rida, Khan Younis, Gabriella Tetrault, Farber, Michael Georgy, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Hamas, Nasser, Health Ministry, World Health Organization, WHO, Nasser Hospital, Gaza Health Ministry, Hospital Locations: CAIRO, Rafah, Israel, Gaza, Iran, Palestinian, Israeli, Beit Hanoun

☆ Egypt is building a new walled buffer zone more than 2 miles wide on Gaza border, satellite images show
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Paul P. Murphy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

If the buffer zone — which stretches from the end of the Gaza border to the Mediterranean Sea — is completed, it will completely engulf the Egyptian-Rafah border crossing complex. Additional satellite imagery reviewed by CNN shows that bulldozers arrived on site on February 3, and the initial excavation of the buffer zone began on February 6. CNN has reached out to the Egyptian government for comment on the buffer zone and wall construction. This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows Egypt building a massive miles-wide buffer zone, and border wall, along its border with Gaza. Israel has been accused of constructing its own buffer zone, but within Gaza, which would effectively shrink the enclave’s borders.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, ’, Peter Lerner, Rajaa Musleh, “, ” Musleh, Fabrizio Carboni, Israel’s, Gazans, Israel, Netanyahu, Volker Türk, ”, ” Türk Organizations: CNN, Maxar Technologies, Sinai Foundation, Human Rights, Gaza Maxar Technologies, Israel Defense Forces, International Committee, Red Cross, New Zealand, UN, Human, IDF Locations: Egypt, Gaza, Rafah, Egypt’s, Gazan, Israel, Australia, Canada, New, North Sinai

☆ Biden Again Tells Netanyahu That Rafah Civilians Must Be Protected
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Jarrett Renshaw(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday again told Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he should not proceed with military action in Rafah without a credible and executable plan to protect Palestinian civilians, the White House said. The call between the two leaders on Thursday was the second time in less than a week that Biden warned Netanyahu about moving into the southern part of the Gaza Strip without a plan to ensure the safety of some 1 million people sheltering there. Fighting at the hospital comes as Israel faces growing international pressure to show restraint, after vowing to press its offensive into Rafah, the last relatively safe place in Gaza. Earlier this month, Biden said Israel's military response in the Gaza Strip had been "over the top" and expressed grave concern over the rising civilian death toll in the Palestinian enclave. The war began on Oct. 7 when Iran-backed Hamas sent fighters into Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seizing 253 hostages according to Israeli tallies.

Persons: Jarrett Renshaw, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu, Rami Ayyub, Chris Reese, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, Israel's Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Iran

Anything to avoid thinking about his son, Muhammed. As the Israeli military targeted the southern city of Khan Younis in early December and fighting with Hamas intensified, his family’s home was struck while he was visiting a neighbor, Mr. Abutaha said. “If somebody sends me his picture, I just shout at him and say: ‘Please don’t remind me of my son. Please, I don’t want to bring back memories,’” Mr. Abutaha said. “Oblivion, forgetfulness, is a blessing from God.”Soon after the strike, he said, he and his family fled to Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, at the time one of the last facilities in the Gaza Strip still offering medical care and shelter to the displaced.

Persons: Mustafa Abutaha, Muhammed, Khan Younis, Abutaha, He’s, ’, ” Organizations: Nasser Locations: Khan, Gaza

☆ Opinion: The crux of Israel’s challenge
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. Rafah encapsulates the perverse genius of the Hamas strategy, and the unwinnable moral dilemmas it created with the war it deliberately provoked. The crux of the matter remains how to make Hamas relinquish power in Gaza. If Hamas leaders leave, surrender, or lay down their arms, the war could end. Hamas leaders vow that massacres like they committed on October 7 will happen “again and again,” that Israel cannot be allowed to exist.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, CNN —, William Burns, David Barnea, Fatah, “, Said Khatib, —, Joe Biden, Ofri Bibas, Hitler, Eichmann, Goebbels … ”, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jordan’s King Abdullah, ”, John Kirby, there’s, Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, CIA, West Bank, Getty, Hamas, Israel, Wall Street, Health Ministry, National Security, New York Times, United Arab, Palestinian Locations: Iran, Gaza, Israel, Cairo, Rafah, Egypt, AFP, Hague, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Palestinian

☆ Ukraine Needs $486 Billion to Recover, Rebuild After Nearly Two Years of War - World Bank
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

That 10-year cost estimate is up from $411 billion last March, with housing needs topping the list at $80 billion or 17%, followed by transport needs of $74 billion or 15%, and commerce and industry at $67.5 billion, or 14%. The new estimate excludes reconstruction needs already met through the Ukraine state budget or through partners and international support. He said the Ukrainian economy had proven remarkably resilient in the face of the war. Four of five firms continued to operate in Ukraine, despite the war, with many relying on digital operations or moving sites to stay in business, he added. The number of internally displaced persons had also gone down to around 3.7 million, compared with 5.4 million in spring 2023.

Persons: Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON, Arup Banerji, Banerji, Andrea Shalal, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: World Bank, United, European Commission Locations: United Nations, Eastern Europe, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukrainian

The case heads to court separately from another federal lawsuit filed in October by LGBTQ+ and civil rights advocates over the aggravated prostitution law. The Republican-carried legislation would only remove the requirement that those convicted of aggravated prostitution must register as a violent sex offender. Court documents in the other federal lawsuit say that more than 80 people are registered for aggravated prostitution in Tennessee. Because she had to register as a sex offender, the woman has experienced periods of homelessness while struggling to find safe housing compliant with sex-registry requirements. Tennessee law also bars her from changing her legal name to match her gender identity, the lawsuit states.

Persons: ”, Kristen Clarke, general's Organizations: U.S . Justice, Justice Department, Republican, Justice Department’s Civil Rights, for Disease Control, The Justice Department Locations: Tenn, Tennessee, United States, Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Shelby County, Memphis

SCENES OF PANIC IN HOSPITAL WARDNasser Hospital, in the southern city of Khan Younis, has been the latest focus of operations that have gutted Gaza’s health sector as it struggles to treat scores of patients wounded in daily bombardments. Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals and other civilian structures to shield its fighters. On Wednesday, a doctor was lightly wounded when a drone opened fire on the upper stories of the hospital, he said. The Gaza Health Ministry said last week that Israeli snipers on surrounding buildings were preventing people from entering or leaving the hospital. Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, which supports Hamas, have traded fire along the border nearly every day since the start of the war in Gaza.

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Khan Younis, Khaled Alserr, ”, Netanyahu, Israel, ___ Mroue Organizations: Hezbollah, WARD Nasser Hospital, Associated Press, Nasser Hospital, AP, Gaza Health Ministry, Hamas, Health Ministry Locations: RAFAH, Gaza, Lebanon, Lebanese, WARD, Khan, Israel, Rafah, Safed, Wednesday, Beirut, ___, israel

☆ Palestinian surgeon says Israeli snipers killed civilians as they tried to flee besieged hospital in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Sana Noor Haq | Jonny Hallam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Doctors and medical officials in southern Gaza say Israeli snipers have shot dead a number of people as they tried to leave the Nasser Medical Complex in recent days. A trauma surgeon at the hospital told CNN he saw at least two people killed by snipers on Tuesday, with more shot and injured. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza also said Israeli sniper fire had killed civilians on Tuesday and said a further seven people were shot dead by Israeli snipers on Monday. Early in the war, the Israeli military designated Khan Younis as a safer zone and told residents from northern Gaza to seek shelter there. “The situation is catastrophic and very disturbing in the Nasser Medical Complex, and there is a state of panic among those present there,” he said.

Persons: Khan Younis, “, rucksacks, –, Ashraf Al, ”, ” Hytham Ahmad, Lisa Macheiner, ” Macheiner Organizations: CNN, Nasser, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Ministry of Health, IDF, Vital, of Health, MSF, Nasser Hospital Locations: Gaza, Khan, Israel

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