Author: ALJAZEERA

Seventy-two of the 99 journalists killed worldwide in 2023 were Palestinians reporting on Israel’s war on Gaza, making those 12 months the deadliest for the media in almost a decade, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Killings of reporters would have dropped globally year-on-year had it not been for the deaths in the ongoing war on Gaza, the CPJ said in its annual report released on Thursday. “In December 2023, CPJ reported that more journalists were killed in the first three months of the Israel-Gaza war than have ever been killed in a single country over an entire…

EXPLAINERAs civilian casualties continue to mount in Gaza, global calls for countries to halt arms sales to Israel grow.The United States Senate has approved a bill committing $14bn to support Israel’s war on Gaza this week. Even before the start of the war last October, the US firmly supported Israel with the supply of military equipment, contributing $3bn annually in military aid. Many other countries provide military support to Israel via arms sales. Civilian casualties continue to mount in Gaza – currently standing at more than 28,000 dead with thousands more trapped under rubble and presumed dead in just four…

Istanbul, Turkey – Earthquake fever has gripped Istanbul since last year’s disaster in southern Turkey, as residents in Europe’s most populous city fear they could face similar devastation. The city lies near the North Anatolia faultline, a geological danger that has seen Istanbul hit by at least 34 strong earthquakes over the last 2,000 years. Smaller tremors can be felt by people in Istanbul every year – an ominous reminder of the danger that lurks beneath their streets. For many, witnessing the stark devastation caused to swaths of Turkey last February added to their anxiety over the inevitable but unpredictable…

Khan Younis, Gaza – Lying on a bed at the European Hospital in southern Gaza, hidden behind bandages that enveloped his disfigured face, five-year-old Ahmed Abu Zariaan remained unidentified for more than a week. The injured boy was one of a growing number of children in the war-torn enclave to be registered as “unknown”, or under the acronym WCNSF – wounded child, no surviving family. Ahmed’s family was wiped out in an Israeli air raid as they travelled southwards along Salah al-Din Street, a route Israel designated for safe passage from northern Gaza, in early November. Heeding the Israeli army’s…

The request comes as international pressure mounts for Israel to hold off on a fully fledged assault on the southern city of Rafah.The prime ministers of Spain and Ireland have asked the European Commission to urgently review whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations in Gaza as international pressure grows for Israel to hold off on an assault of the densely packed southern border city of Rafah. The two leaders said on Wednesday that attacking Rafah poses “a grave and imminent threat that the international community must urgently confront”. “We also recall the horror of October 7, and…

Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo as relations warm following years of tensions.Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi leader have called for a halt to Israel’s looming offensive on Rafah in southern Gaza as the leaders held bilateral talks in Cairo. Erdogan’s visit to Egypt on Wednesday comes as ties between Ankara and Cairo are back on track after years of tensions and frosty relations. The Turkish leader arrived in the Egyptian capital, his first visit to Cairo in over a decade, after visiting the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, where he…

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NewsFeedThe families of two cousins killed by Israeli snipers recall their fateful decision to go out to buy clementines from a street vendor. 20-year-old Hadeel Abu Al-Qare’a and 3-year-old Imad Abu Al-Qare’a were gunned down in Gaza City in December.Published On 14 Feb 202414 Feb 2024 Source link

NewsFeedA call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza topped the agenda for Turkish and Egyptian presidents – who met in Cairo for the first time in over a decade. The two leaders – Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi are making efforts to repair years of strained relations, signing trade, tourism and defence deals during their summit.Published On 14 Feb 202414 Feb 2024 Source link

A separate UN official expresses fears over how the US designating the Houthis a ‘terrorist’ group may affect Yemen’s economy.The United Nations special envoy for Yemen has called for immediate action to end the “dangerous escalatory cycle” in the war-wracked country, as Houthi rebels continue their attacks in the Red Sea and Western powers retaliate with strikes on Yemen. “I am engaging the Yemeni parties and relevant regional actors to support de-escalation in the Red Sea to protect the mediation space in Yemen,” Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council on Wednesday. “Three things need to happen in the immediate…