Author: ALJAZEERA

NewsFeedThe UN’s top court is ordering Israel to immediately halt its offensive on Rafah, open the border crossing to let aid to flow freely into Gaza and to allow unimpeded access for investigators over allegations of genocide in Palestine. Israel said it is acting on its right to defend itself and called charges of genocide outrageous.Published On 24 May 202424 May 2024 Source link

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has agreed in a phone call with his United States counterpart, Joe Biden, to allow United Nations aid through the Karem Abu Salem border crossing (known in Israel as Kerem Shalom) to the bombarded and besieged Gaza Strip, the White House says. “President Biden welcomed the commitment from President el-Sisi to permit the flow of UN-provided humanitarian assistance” through the crossing, it said in a readout of the call, adding: “This will help save lives.” The aid will be sent to Gaza via the crossing – located where the borders of Egypt, Israel and Gaza…

The top United Nations court has ordered Israel to “immediately” halt its military assault on Rafah, describing the humanitarian situation in the southern Gaza city, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are sheltering, as “disastrous”. Israel must “immediately halt its military offensive and any other action in the Rafah Governorate which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”, the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ’s) president, Nawaf Salam, said. The emergency measures were ordered on the request of South Africa as part of its genocide…

Rights groups have renewed calls for US President Joe Biden to halt weapons transfers to Israel, after the United Nations’ top court ordered the Israeli government to immediately halt its ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and allow aid into the area. The United States has faced months of pressure to suspend military assistance to Israel as the Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip rose steadily and a humanitarian crisis deepened across the besieged enclave. Biden himself has publicly opposed Israel’s offensive in Rafah – where the majority of Gaza’s displaced residents had gathered – and…

The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution denouncing attacks on UN staff and aid workers in conflict zones as record numbers of UN personnel have been killed in Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip. The resolution, which calls on all countries to protect humanitarian workers in accordance with international law, passed on Friday with 14 votes in favour, zero against and one abstention. “This resolution [sends] a strong message,” said Pascale Baeriswyl, the UN ambassador for Switzerland, which put forward the measure. “This resolution reaffirms state responsibility and that of parties to conflict to respect and protect the…

Preliminary report says no evidence of criminal activity but investigators signal the probe is not yet over.Iranian military investigators have so far found no evidence of criminal activity in the helicopter crash that killed late President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others, according to state media. A preliminary report on the crash by the general staff of the armed forces said the craft had “caught fire after hitting an elevated area”, finding no traces of “bullet holes” on the helicopter wreckage, according to the official IRNA news agency late on Thursday. The report also stated that Raisi’s helicopter had been flying…

Seoul, South Korea – Kim Gyeong-eob used to be a regular at bars and clubs in Hongdae, a popular university district and nightlife hotspot, drinking and enjoying live music with friends. Then, in early 2020, COVID-19 brought Seoul’s raucous nightlife to an abrupt halt. Suddenly, Kim, an IT engineer, was saving more money each month than he knew what to do with. “I couldn’t use my money for drinks, and I thought ‘hmm … I can invest with the money I save.’ Somehow COVID became an opportunity for me,” Kim told Al Jazeera. Since then, Kim has been a regular…

Severe fuel shortages have caused power outages at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, with hospital officials warning that many sick and wounded patients face certain death if supplies needed to run medical equipment and generators are not replenished. Early on Friday, the hospital in Deir el-Balah received 15,000 litres (4,000 gallons) of fuel but that will only last a few more days, Al Jazeera’s reporters in Gaza said. Overnight, the shortage forced medical workers to work in an almost pitch-dark environment, with doctors using the light from their mobile phones while tending to premature babies. “We have hundreds of patients…

President Yoon Suk-yeol has announced a record $19bn support plan for South Korea’s crucial semiconductor industry. South Korea is home to the world’s top memory chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, and last year pledged to build the world’s largest chip centre using $456bn of private investment as it seeks an edge in the global industry. “We have created a comprehensive support programme for the semiconductor industry worth 26 trillion Korean won [$19.1bn], which encompasses financial, infrastructure, research and development, as well as support for small and medium-sized companies,” he said, according to a statement from his office. The package…

On April 30, the European Union’s eighth annual conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region” in Brussels started with a day of dialogue. Members of Syrian civil society, representatives of United Nations agencies and international NGOs, and political leaders from the EU and other stakeholder countries came together to debate and strategise about the most pressing humanitarian issues affecting the region. On Monday, May 27, the conference will continue with a ministerial segment aimed at mobilising financial support for people in need in Syria. Ministers attending this important gathering will need to take urgent action to avert…