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Like many Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere he feels Arab states have not done enough to support the Palestinian cause, especially those who have normalised ties with Israel. Israel reiterated it would not allow aid through its crossing with Gaza until Hamas released about 200 hostages seized during its cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7. The Gaza health ministry said 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and 12,065 wounded in Israeli air strikes on the besieged enclave since Oct. 7. Israel and Egypt have upheld a blockade of Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, tightly controlling the movement goods and people. But the Hamas attack, the biggest against Israel since the 1973 Yom Kippur war, followed by the fiercest ever Israeli strikes on Gaza, has created a monumental crisis.

Persons: Stringer, Awad El, Hoda Arafat, Abu Taya, Amena Al, Michael Georgy, Angus MacSwan, Alex Richardson Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Israel, White, United Nations, Palestinian, Aqsa Hospital, Gaza, Gaza Health Ministry, Interior Ministry, Thomson Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Egypt, GAZA, U.S, El, United States, Ahli, Arabi, Israeli, Al

☆ What is Islamic Jihad? The Hamas ally at war with Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants participate in an anti-Israel military parade marking the 36th anniversary of the movement's foundation in Gaza City, October 4, 2023. Israel said Islamic Jihad was responsible, saying a failed rocket launch by the group hit the hospital. Islamic Jihad denied this, saying it did not have any activity in or around Gaza City at that time. * Islamic Jihad has the second-biggest armed network in Gaza after that of the enclave's governing militant group Hamas. * Islamic Jihad is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and European countries.

Persons: Mohammed Salem, Israel, Islamic Jihad, Fathi Shiqaqi, Abdel, Aziz Odeh, Yasser Arafat's, Shiqaqi, Edmund Blair Organizations: Islamic, REUTERS, Al Ahli Arab Hospital, Islamic Jihad, Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organisation, PLO, West Bank, Hamas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza City, Palestinian, Gaza, Al Ahli, Yasser Arafat's Palestine, Malta, Palestine, Jihad, Beirut, Damascus, United States

☆ This American family with roots in besieged Gaza suffers the consequences of Israel’s war on Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Aya Elamroussi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Wrapped in a blanket inside a makeshift tent, Ahmed Arafat tries to stay calm as the sounds of Israeli military drones echo through the night sky. Not heeding the warning came with the risk of losing his wife, two young children and other family members that lived in the building. “They’re just killing indiscriminately at this point.”Al-Rimal neighborhood, where the Arafat family lived, is seen on October 10, after a barrage of Israeli airstrikes turned it to rubble. Loay Ayyoub/The Washington Post/Getty ImagesSince then, Arafat and his family have been fleeing from home to home, often staying with friends and family. They’re my family.”Having lived in Gaza for so long, the retired school teacher is no stranger to war – but now things feel different.

Persons: CNN —, Ahmed Arafat, Arafat, “ They’ve, ” Arafat, “ They’re, ”, Shamdasani, “, … I’ve, ” Ahmed Arafat, Hisham Arafat ‘, Anita Arafat, “ He’s, Ahmed, ” Anita Arafat, Ashraf, Sameh, Hisham, Ashraf ., Hisham Arafat “, “ It’s, ” Ashraf Arafat, “ You’re, you’re, he’s, Antony Blinken Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, UN, Human Rights, Palestinian Ministry of Health Locations: Gaza, Rimal, Israel, Memphis , Tennessee, Ogden , Utah, Gaza City, Rafah, Egypt

☆ Analyst: Israel’s costly misunderstanding of Hamas’ true aims
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +32 min

Bergen: How does Hamas impact the more secular Palestinian Authority, which controlled Gaza until 2007 before Hamas violently pushed them aside? They don’t have any other aims like Hamas because Hamas is a religious, social, political movement and terror organization at the same time. Yousef Masoud/The New York Times/Redux Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City on Tuesday, October 10. Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10. Erik Marmor/AP Six-month-old Sama Alwadia is rescued from the rubble in Gaza City on October 9.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, CNN — Kobi Michael, Michael, Kobi Michael, Mohammed Deif, Marwan Issa, He’s, he’s, Deif, Israel, They’ve, Israel doesn’t, It’ll, Hatem Ali, Antonio Macías, Macías, Francisco Seco, Fatima Shbair, Mohammed Saber, Eli Albag, Liri, Mohammed Talatene, Sergey Ponomarev, Violeta Santos Moura, Dor Kedmi, Mahmud Hams, Saher, Hatem Moussa, Abraham Cohen, Valentin Ghnassia, Ghnassia, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Yuri Cortez, Yousef Masoud, Ibrahim Hams, Bashar Taleb, Baz Ratner, Jack Guez, Khan, Abed Rahim Khatib, Yahya Hassouna, Mapal Adam, Abed Zagout, Tamir Kalifa, Agha, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Reuters Itzik, Miriam Shafir, Dor Shafir, Savion Kiper, Maya Alleruzzo, Mohammed Salem, CNN Sergey Ponomarev, Mohammed Abed, Eden Guez, Atef Safadi, Ohad, Mohammed Soboh, Said, Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg, Belal Khaled, Samar Abu, Amir Cohen, Ilai Bar Sade, Erik Marmor, Ali Jadallah, Oren Ziv, Ronen Zvulun, Majdi, Ilia Yefimovich, Ramez Mahmoud, Roi Levy, Alleruzzo, Tali Touito, Jalaa Marey, Oded, Khan Younis, Ahmad Hasballah, Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa, Tsafrir, Ahmad Gharabli, Mustafa Hassona, Ilan Rosenberg, Eyad Baba, Itai Ron, Hadas Parush, Yasser Arafat’s, David, Bill Clinton Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Peter Bergen CNN, Tel, for National Security Studies, Palestinian, National Security Council, Ministry of Strategic Affairs, Hamas, Qassam, Israel, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, PLO, Israel Defense Forces, Gaza, Haim, AP, New York Times, Reuters, Getty, Aris Messinis, Mount, Mount Herzl Military, Nova, Anadolu Agency, Nova Festival, Ben Gurion, Shifa, Rockets, Israel's, United Nations, Reuters Police, Reuters Rockets, US Locations: New America, Gaza, Lebanon, Israel, Tel Aviv, Bergen, Iran, Qatar, Egypt, You’re, Palestinian, Jihad, Hamas, Gaza City, Rafah, Kfar Saba, Al, Israeli, Be'eri, Rehovot, AFP, Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, Kibbutz Be'eri, Sderot, Khan Younis, Modiin Maccabim, Kfar Aza, Ashkelon, Mount Herzel, Samar, Samar Abu Elouf, Yassin, Beitar Ilit, Ramat Gan, Kiryat Shmona, Itai, Beit Hanun, Rishon Lezion, Samaria, Saudi Arabia, United States of America

☆ Who is El Deif, alleged mastermind of the Hamas’ attack?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Sam Kiley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

He’s now in charge of Hamas’ military wing, the Al Qassem Brigades. And on the ground, in private conversations, it’s been difficult to find people who are genuinely behind Hamas military campaigning. Men like El Deif, the bomb makers and decision takers, were hunted by Israel. Key to this change, too, was another major figure in Hamas’ military wing, Yahya Sinwar. I think this will spell the end of Hamas.”That may be a zero-sum option that not even the shadowy El Deif had guessed at.

Persons: Khan Younis, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin gasped, ”, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Eric Gaillard, —, ” Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, El Deif, He’s, Al Qassem, Mkhaimar Abusada, Yassir Arafat, Mahmud Hams, it’s, El, Israel, Dor Kedmi, Yahya Sinwar, Al, he’s, Karim von Hippel, “, hasn’t Organizations: CNN, British, Hamas, Reuters, Al Qassem Brigades, Al Azah University, Palestine Liberation Organization, Israel, Brigades, Getty, Palestinian Authority, Fatah, West Bank, Islamic, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Gaza, Deira, Israel, Gaza City, El, Oslo Accords, AFP, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Egypt, Aqsa, Iran, Tehran, Rehovot, Hamas, Back, Syria, Yom, Lebanon, London

☆ In Gaza war, Reuters journalist welcomes 'joyful news' of baby son
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters' Palestinian journalist Mohammed Salem, who welcomed his newborn Abdallah while covering Israeli bombardment in Gaza, poses for a photo as he works on a rooftop in Gaza City October 12, 2023. REUTERS/Arafat Barbakh Acquire Licensing RightsReuters journalist Mohammed Salem was filming the aftermath of Israeli bombing in Gaza on Thursday morning, when he received an urgent message: his wife was going into labour at home. Salem, still wearing a protective flak jacket, picked up his wife, Khawla, and drove in his armoured vehicle to Gaza City's Al-Sahaba hospital. The conflict was set off by a Hamas rampage through southern Israeli towns this week that killed at least 1,300 people. "While covering all the pain, on streets and in hospitals, and capturing it through a lens, I received this joyful news," said Salem, who also has four daughters.

Persons: Mohammed Salem, Abdallah, Arafat Barbakh, Khawla, Gaza City's, Salem Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Palestinian, Gaza, Gaza City, Salem, Gaza City's Al, Israel

☆ A brief history of Gaza's centuries of war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

1950s & 1960s - Egyptian military ruleEgypt held the Gaza Strip for two decades under a military governor, allowing Palestinians to work and study in Egypt. 1967 - War and Israeli military occupationIsrael captured the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war. An Israeli census that year put Gaza's population at 394,000, at least 60% of them refugees. Hamas formedTwenty years after the 1967 war, Palestinians launched their first intifada, or uprising. Israeli air strikes crippled Gaza's only electrical power plant, causing widespread blackouts.

Persons: Alexander the Great, King David ., Napoleon, shutdowns, Yasser Arafat's, Arafat, Agha, Khan Younis, Abu Mustafa, Israel, Israel evacuates, Mahmoud Abbas, Abdel Fattah al, Stephen Farrell, Nidal, Rosalba O'Brien, Chris Reese Organizations: Crusaders, United Nations, UNRWA, West Bank, Hamas, Brotherhood, Fatah, Palestine Liberation Organization, Oslo Accords, Palestinian Authority, REUTERS, Palestinian, Gaza International, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Gaza City, Asia, Africa, Ottoman Empire, British, Palestine, Israel, Sinai, Ashkelon, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Israeli, Gaza's Jabalya, Oslo, Palestinian, Jericho, Authority, United States

☆ A Brief History of Gaza's 75 Years of Woe
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +8 min

Hamas formedTwenty years after the 1967 war, Palestinians launched their first intifada, or uprising. It began in December 1987 after a traffic accident in which an Israeli truck crashed into a vehicle carrying Palestinian workers in Gaza's Jabalya refugee camp, killing four. Israel stopped tens of thousands of Palestinian workers from entering the country, cutting off an important source of income. Israeli air strikes crippled Gaza's only electrical power plant, causing widespread blackouts. Israel took revenge, hammering Gaza with air strikes and razing entire districts in some of the worst blood-letting in the 75 years of conflict.

Persons: shutdowns, Yasser Arafat's, Arafat, Israel, Israel evacuates, Mahmoud Abbas, Abdel Fattah al, Stephen Farrell, Nidal, Rosalba O'Brien, Chris Reese Organizations: Reuters, United Nations, UNRWA, West Bank, Hamas, Brotherhood, Fatah, Palestine Liberation Organization, Oslo Accords, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian, Gaza International Locations: Gaza, Ottoman Empire, British, Palestine, Israel, Sinai, Ashkelon, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Israeli, Gaza's Jabalya, Oslo, Palestinian, Jericho, Authority, United States

☆ A brief history of Gaza's 75 years of woe
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Persons: shutdowns, Yasser Arafat's, Arafat, Israel, Israel evacuates, Mahmoud Abbas, Abdel Fattah al, Stephen Farrell, Nidal, Rosalba O'Brien, Chris Reese Organizations: United Nations, UNRWA, West Bank, Hamas, Brotherhood, Fatah, Palestine Liberation Organization, Oslo Accords, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian, Gaza International, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Ottoman Empire, British, Palestine, Israel, Sinai, Ashkelon, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Israeli, Gaza's Jabalya, Oslo, Palestinian, Jericho, Authority, United States

☆ What's the Israel-Palestinian conflict about? The origin of wars explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Palestinians who stayed put in the war today form the Arab Israeli community, making up about 20% of Israel's population. Israel has occupied the West Bank, Arab East Jerusalem, which it captured from Jordan, and Syria's Golan Heights ever since. A two-state solution, Israeli settlements, the status of Jerusalem, and refugees are at the core of the dispute. Israel has said a Palestinian state must be demilitarised so as not to threaten Israel. Jerusalem - Palestinians want East Jerusalem, which includes sites sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians, to be the capital of their state.

Persons: David Ben, Gurion, Israel, Golan, Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin, Arafat, David, Bill Clinton, Ehud Barak, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Jerusalem, Trump, Edmund Blair Organizations: Israel, West Bank, Palestinian, Oslo Accords, U.S, Refugees, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, British, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, East Jerusalem, U.S, Egypt, Arab East Jerusalem, Suez, Golan, Oslo, Israeli, Palestinian, Washington, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Jerusalem

☆ What's the Israel-Palestinian conflict about and how did it start?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The conflict pits Israeli demands for security in what it has long regarded as a hostile region against Palestinian aspirations for a state of their own. Palestinians who stayed put in the war today form the Arab Israeli community, making up about 20% of Israel's population. Israel has occupied the West Bank, Arab East Jerusalem, which it captured from Jordan, and Syria's Golan Heights ever since. Israel has said a Palestinian state must be demilitarised so as not to threaten Israel. Jerusalem - Palestinians want East Jerusalem, which includes sites sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians, to be the capital of their state.

Persons: David Ben, Gurion, Israel, Golan, Yasser Arafat, Mohammed Salem, Yitzhak Rabin, Arafat, David, Bill Clinton, Ehud Barak, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Jerusalem, Trump, Edmund Blair Organizations: Israel, West Bank, Palestinian, REUTERS, Oslo Accords, U.S, Refugees, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, British, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, East Jerusalem, U.S, Egypt, Arab East Jerusalem, Suez, Golan, Gaza City, Oslo, Israeli, Palestinian, Washington, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Jerusalem

☆ How the surprise attack on Israel unfolded
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Map showing Israel and Gaza. Sources: GlobalSecurity.org; Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Israel Defense Forces; Natural Earth; Reuters reporting. A video distributed by Hamas showed what it said was an attack on the Erez crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. 3 Israeli retaliationHundreds of Hamas fighters were killed inside Israel and dozens more captured. Two maps showing Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip border evacuated by defence forces, and Israeli air strikes in and around Gaza.

Persons: Israel, Yoav Gallant, Arafat Barbakh, Jacqueline Clyne Organizations: Hamas, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel Defense Forces, Reuters, Nova, ” Locations: Palestinian, Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Grad, Ashkelon, Sderot, Israeli, Zikim, Shejaiya, Ofakim, Palestine, Gaza City

☆ Mapping the conflict in Israel and Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Map showing Israel and Gaza. Maps showing how Hamas entered Israel by sea, by air and through multiple points along the Gaza border. A video distributed by Hamas showed what it said was an attack on the Erez crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Israeli air strikes also hit housing blocks, tunnels and homes of Hamas officials in Gaza, killing more than 400 people, including 20 children. Two maps showing Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip border evacuated by defence forces, and Israeli air strikes in and around Gaza.

☆ One person dead, 46 injured after explosions at Romanian gas station
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Flames rise after an explosion at a LPG station in Crevedia, near Bucharest, Romania, August 26, 2023. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBUCHAREST, Aug 26 (Reuters) - One person died and 46 were hospitalized after two explosions at a liquefied petroleum gas station in the Romanian town of Crevedia, near the capital Bucharest on Saturday. A second explosion took place at the LPG station on Saturday evening injuring 26 firefighters, Deputy Interior Minister Raed Arafat who is in charge of the emergency response unit told reporters. Of the 46 injured, eight were intubated after suffering severe burns, the government said. Reporting by Marek Strzelecki and Luiza Ilie; editing by Christina Fincher and Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ganea, Raed Arafat, Marcel Ciolacu, Arafat, Marek Strzelecki, Luiza Ilie, Christina Fincher, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Flames, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Thomson Locations: Crevedia, Bucharest, Romania, Rights BUCHAREST, Romanian, Italy, Belgium

CNN —President Joe Biden is using the presidential retreat at Camp David to help with a diplomatic mission – hosting the first-ever trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea, two countries that are putting aside a fraught history in the face of shared security challenges. The gathering will mark the first time Biden is hosting foreign leaders at the Camp David retreat, a site of historic diplomatic negotiations for past presidents. From the start of his administration, Biden has sought to draw Asian allies like Japan and South Korea closer, in part, to counter an ascendant China. Biden’s first foreign leader visits at the White House were Japan and South Korea, and he visited the countries back-to-back in May 2022. Biden has worked to foster his individual relationships and cooperation with South Korea and Japan.

Persons: Joe Biden, David, Fumio Kishida, Yoon Suk, Biden, ”, Camp David, Yoon, ” Rahm Emanuel, Biden’s, Jake Sullivan, Kishida, “, ” Biden, serenaded, Don McLean, Yoon’s, Yoon Ki Jung, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, Jimmy Carter’s, Bill Clinton, Ehud Barak, Yasser Arafat, Barack Obama, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN, Japanese, South, Camp, Japan, Brookings Institution, ”, White, NATO, Korean, US, White House, South Korean, British, Camp David Accords, Israeli Locations: Japan, South Korea, North Korea, China, Catoctin, Maryland, Seoul, Tokyo, Korea, Korean, Pyongyang, Beijing, Madrid, Hiroshima, Annapolis , Maryland, Ukraine, Washington, Delaware, Israel, Egypt

☆ Biden nods to Camp David history by inviting Yoon, Kishida
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Most famously, President Jimmy Carter brokered the Camp David accords in 1978 between Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The first foreign leader to visit Camp David, then known as "Shangri-La," was British Prime Minister Winston Churchill who was there for World War Two talks with Roosevelt. Eisenhower, who named Camp David for his father and grandson, would grill steaks for family and friends. One time George W. Bush hosted Russian leader Vladimir Putin at Camp David and introduced Putin to his Scottish terrier, Barney. The seemingly mundane at Camp David can sometimes erupt into major headlines, like the time President George H.W.

Persons: Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Biden, David, Camp David, Japan's Fumio, Korea's Yoon Suk Yeol, Franklin Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Anwar al, Sadat, Menachem Begin, Winston Churchill, Roosevelt, Churchill, Nikita Krushchev, Dwight Eisenhower, Bill Clinton, Ehud Barak, Yasser Arafat, Arafat, Clinton, ” Clinton, “, ”, Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, Eisenhower, George W, Bush, Carter, Putin, Barney, George H.W, Marlin, Marlin Fitzwater, Steve Holland, Heather Timmons, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S, ., ROK, Works Progress Administration, Israeli, British, Cuban Missile Crisis, White, Camp, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Camp, Thurmont, WASHINGTON, Japan, South Korea, Maryland, U.S, Laurel Lodge, Aspen Lodge, Roosevelt . U.S, Catoctin, Soviet, Russian, Russia

"We are sons of Jenin," said one of the Islamic Jihad fighters, who identified himself as Abu Salah. Islamic Jihad is a Palestinian faction sworn to destroying Israel and replacing it with an Islamic state. Many of the Palestinian attackers who have killed Israelis in Israel and the West Bank came from the area. Sometimes the transfers involve criminals and sometimes legitimate or semi-legitimate businesses help to move funds to the West Bank, the militant sources said. Much of the weaponry used by the Jenin fighters comes from Israel itself, stolen and sold on through criminal gangs, Israeli officials say.

Persons: Raneen, Tzachi Hanegbi, Abu Salah, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Mahmoud Al, Saadi, Tamir Hayman, Daoud Shehab, Yasser Arafat, Ali Sawafta, James Mackenzie, Suleiman al, Khalidi, Raneen Sawafta, Maayan Lubell, Jonathan Saul, Jerusalem, Nidal, Michelle Nichols, Leila Bassam, David Clarke Organizations: Bank, REUTERS, West Bank, Islamic, Israel's National, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, HIT, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian, Israel's Institute for National Security, United Nations, Palestinian Center, Policy, Survey Research, Jenin Brigade, Gulf, Aqsa Brigades, Fatah, Thomson Locations: Jenin, JENIN, West, Islamic Jihad, Iran, Jihad, Lebanon, Israel, Oslo, Crescent, Tel Aviv, New York, Nablus, Palestinian Territories, China, Jordanian, Al, Aqsa, Amman, Maayan, Gaza, Beirut, Parisa, Dubai

☆ Bangladesh grapples with record deadly outbreak of dengue fever
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DHAKA, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Bangladesh is grappling with a record deadly outbreak of dengue fever, with hospitals struggling to make space for patients as the disease spreads rapidly in the densely-populated country. Hospitals, especially in capital Dhaka, are struggling to find space for the large number of patients suffering high fever, joint pain and vomiting, health officials said. There is no vaccine or drug that specifically treats dengue, which is common in South Asia during the June-to-September monsoon season, when the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the deadly virus thrives in stagnant water. This year's deaths already top the previous record of 281 from last year, with the number of people infected just behind the 62,423 cases of 2022. "This is the reason why we saw such a high number of dengue cases in July.

Persons: Zahid Maleque, Kabirul Bashar, Yasir Arafat, Ruma Paul, Tom Hogue Organizations: Reuters, Jahangirnagar University, Thomson Locations: DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dhaka, South Asia, Asia

☆ Defying high prices, Muslim pilgrims head to Mecca for haj
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Arafat Barbakh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 65-year-old struggled to pay the bill despite choosing the cheapest-offered package, which included travelling to Saudi Arabia by land and sharing hotel rooms with other pilgrims. "For the sake of the holy mosque and seeing the Kaaba... everything is worth it, but the economic conditions are really tough," he added. Abu Rahal was one of more than 2 million haj pilgrims expected to attend the 2023 pilgrimage season this week in Mecca and Medina, defying global inflation and higher prices for haj services. Authorities in the kingdom said more than 1.6 million pilgrims had already arrived for the pilgrimage as of Sunday. Many pilgrims said they were happy to take the spiritual journey and buy gifts for their family members despite high prices.

Persons: Mohamed Abd El Ghany, Anas Abu Rahal, haj, Abu Rahal, Haj, Eid Al, Omar, Abdullah Abbas, Aziz El Yaakoubi, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, haj, Thomson Locations: El, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Mohamed Abd El Ghany MECCA, Medina, Saudi, Mecca's, haj, Egypt

☆ On a culinary homecoming, influencer chefs look to perpetuate Palestinian dishes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Emily Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Palestinian chefs from North America taste local Palestinian products as they explore the quality and richness of Palestinian products and sustainable agriculture, in Gaza City May 8, 2023. REUTERS/Arafat BarbakhJERUSALEM, May 29 (Reuters) - For Canadian celebrity chef Suzanne Husseini, a first culinary tour of the Palestinian territories was a chance to preserve and promote the dishes and folk-remedies of her ancestry. The chefs, with Palestinian roots, focused on traditional techniques such as how to turn the poisonous dark purple Palestine lily, which blooms in the spring, into an ingredient for soups and a traditional medicine. Mirna Bamieh, a chef and founder of the Palestine Hosting Society, which curates and seeks to revive traditional Palestinian recipes, discovered a local variant of the "kubeh" meat dumpling frequently associated with Kurdish kitchens. "It was super fascinating because you know, we always think that we don't have a kubeh culture in Palestine,” Bamieh said.

☆ How MTV Broke News for a Generation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Remy Tumin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A little over a year into his first term, President Bill Clinton made good on a promise to return to MTV if young voters sent him to the White House. The town hall-style program in 1994 was meant to focus on violence in America, but it was a question of personal preference that made headlines and helped put MTV News on the media map. Now, a generation after MTV News bridged the gap between news and pop culture, Paramount, the network’s parent company, announced this week that it was shuttering the news service. They brought viewers on the presidential campaign trail and face to face with world leaders like Yasir Arafat, and took them into college dorms in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. They also embraced the messy chaos of 1990s and early 2000s celebrity, as when Courtney Love interrupted an interview with Madonna.

☆ Factbox: FACTBOX Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian faction with rockets and Iranian backing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Following are some facts about Islamic Jihad:* Founded in the late 1970s by Fathi Shiqaqi and Abdel-Aziz Odeh, Islamic Jihad gained support among Palestinians disillusioned with Yasser Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). * Islamic Jihad has the second-biggest armed network in Gaza after that of the enclave's governing militant group Hamas. Islamic Jihad does not disclose such information. * Unlike Hamas, Islamic Jihad has not contested Palestinian parliamentary elections and appears to have no ambition to form a government in Gaza or the West Bank. * Islamic Jihad is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and European countries.

☆ As Gaza Celebrates Eid, a Gift for Women — and a Duty for Men
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Raja Abdulrahim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

GAZA CITY — On the morning of Eid al-Fitr, Arafat Helles will start the day with a special prayer at the mosque to mark the end of Ramadan, and eat a breakfast of salty cheeses to line his stomach for what is to come. Then, he will set out with his three brothers and father across the Gaza Strip. At each home, the men will be plied with coffee and sweets. After little more than 15 minutes, the social calls will end — a rarity in a society where such visits may last for hours, and often end in an invitation to stay for dinner. “This is the eidiya visit,” said Mr. Helles, 48, a professor of social services at Al-Quds Open University, in Gaza.

[1/5] Palestinians relatives of Sabreen Abu Jazar, who died when a boat carrying migrants sank offshore Greece, mourn in her family home in Gaza Strip March 3, 2023. After leaving Gaza in February, via Egypt, Sabreen flew to Turkey where she met her husband, who had migrated to Belgium years ago. "I celebrated her as a bride, now she's returned to me in a coffin," said her mother-in-law Buthayna Abu Jazar. In an effort to promote security along its Gaza border, Israel offers some 20,000 permits to allow Gazans to work in Israel. In Gaza, Hamas says a permanent solution for unemployment is beyond its ability alone.

☆ The Palestinian president and his unfulfilled quest for a state
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

He was an early member of Fatah, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) faction that dominated Palestinian politics for decades. He became leader of both when Arafat died in 2004, and a year later was elected president of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited sovereignty in the West Bank. Behind them were U.S. President Bill Clinton, Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, applauding warmly. When the Palestinian leadership returned from exile to Gaza after the Oslo Accords Abbas was upbeat, promising: "I will live in Palestine." Hamas routed Fatah in a civil war in Gaza, leaving Abbas with control of Palestinian-administered areas in the West Bank but there have been no Palestinian elections since.

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