Author: ALJAZEERA

Palestinian footballer Mohammed Barakat has been killed in an Israeli bombing of his house in Khan Younis during the ongoing war in Gaza. The Barakat family’s home was hit by Israeli bombs early on Monday, the first day of fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Barakat, Gaza’s first centurion of goals and one of its top scorers, represented the national team, for whom he appeared three times, and the Ahly Gaza football club in the local league. The 39-year-old scored 114 goals and was known as “the legend of Khan Younis” during his long association with the Khan…

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The holy month of Ramadan has started. Muslims across the world are fasting, spending time with their families and dedicating themselves to prayer and worship. But for us, the Muslims of Gaza, this holy month is filled with heartbreak and mourning. For more than five months now, we have endured massacres, disease, starvation and thirst at the hands of the Israeli army. Its violence and brutality have not stopped or lessened as Ramadan begins. As many of us struggle to put food on the table to break fast or to find a safe place for prayer, the memories of past…

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Washington, DC – Prominent progressive organisations in the United States are joining together to push back against the political and electoral influence of the country’s most powerful pro-Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). More than 20 advocacy groups launched on Monday a formal coalition dubbed “Reject AIPAC” to organise against what they called AIPAC’s campaign to​​ silence the “growing dissent in Congress” against Israel’s war on Gaza. The newly formed coalition cited reports that AIPAC is readying a $100m offensive through its electoral arms – AIPAC PAC and the United Democracy Project (UDP) – to take…

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President Joe Biden has said the United States will set up a temporary pier off Gaza to deliver humanitarian supplies to the besieged enclave as Palestinians begin to starve during Israel’s blockade of the strip. On Sunday, a US military ship carrying the equipment required for initial construction work on the structure departed for Gaza, according to the US military’s Central Command. The move comes as the US has been airdropping aid amid looming famine in Gaza, which has been devastated by more than five months of Israeli bombardment, ground operations and siege. Aid agencies said the airdrops are not…

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PodcastPodcast, The TakeMuslims around the world mark the start of Ramadan. For many, that includes marking 157 days of Israeli assault in Gaza. Ramadan this year for Palestinian Muslims looks different around the world. In the United States and in Gaza, we hear how people have found solace in faith during Israel’s war, and what it means to refocus during a holy month. In this episode:  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana with our host Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya…

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Deir el-Balah, Gaza – Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims, with people decorating their homes, buying things for special Ramadan dishes, and planning gatherings with family and friends to break their fast together. But in Deir el-Balah, as Israeli bombing continues and the list of civilians being killed gets longer by the day, there is little to indicate that the festivities are on the doorstep. Al Jazeera spoke to two sellers in the Deir el-Balah market as they were trying to stir up some Ramadan joy. Atia Harb, 38, had some old Ramadan decorations laid out in his market…

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Gross domestic product grows 0.4 percent amid expectations of an end to negative interest rates as soon as this month.Japan’s economy has narrowly avoided recession, underscoring the economic challenges facing the East Asian giant even as its stock market is cruising at its highest levels in decades. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew an annualised 0.4 percent between October and December, up from earlier provisional data that showed a 0.4 percent contraction, Japan’s Cabinet Office said on Monday. On a quarterly basis, GDP expanded 0.1 percent, revised up from an estimated 0.1 percent decline. Japan’s government last month announced provisional figures…

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