Two-thirds of Gaza buildings damaged in war

Two-thirds of Gaza buildings damaged in war
Palestinian Civil Defense members work at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. (Reuters)
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Two-thirds of Gaza buildings damaged in war

Two-thirds of Gaza buildings damaged in war
  • High-resolution imagery collected on Sept. 3 and 6 showed clear deterioration, UN Satellite Center says

GENEVA: Two-thirds of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed since the Gaza war began in October 2023, the UN said.

Updating its damage assessment, the UN Satellite Center, or UNOSAT, said very high-resolution imagery collected on Sept. 3 and 6 showed a clear deterioration.

“This analysis ... shows that two-thirds of the total structures in the Gaza Strip have sustained damage,” UNOSAT said.

“Those 66 percent of damaged buildings in the Gaza Strip account for 163,778 structures in total,” it said.

The last assessment, based on images from early July, determined that 63 percent of structures in the Palestinian territory had been damaged.

Monday’s update said the damage now included “52,564 structures that have been destroyed; 18,913 severely damaged; 35,591 possibly damaged structures; and 56,710 moderately affected.”

Gaza City has been notably affected, with 36,611 structures destroyed, it added.

UNOSAT and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said that approximately 68 percent of the permanent crop fields in the Gaza Strip showed “a significant decline in health and density” in September.

Hamas’s unprecedented Oct. 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,615 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the territory’s Health Ministry. The UN has described the figures as reliable.

Part of the UN Institute for Training and Research, or UNITAR, Geneva-based UNOSAT says its satellite imagery analysis helps the humanitarian community assess the extent of conflict-related damage and helps shape emergency relief efforts.

“Over the past year, UNOSAT’s team has worked tirelessly to provide the world with precise and timely insights into the impact of the conflict on buildings and infrastructure in Gaza,” said UNITAR’s executive director Nikhil Seth.

Critics highlight that from the time a UN General Assembly vote paved the way for Israel’s establishment in 1948, the country has ignored numerous UN resolutions and international court rulings without consequences.

Israel has always snubbed Resolution 194, which guarantees the Palestinians expelled in 1948 from the territory Israel conquered the right to return or to compensation.

It has also ignored rulings condemning its forceful acquisition of territory and the annexation of East Jerusalem after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and the continuing and expanding settlement policy in the West Bank, among others. 


Man arrested after breaking into Moroccan embassy in Sweden

Policemen stand outside Morocco's embassy to Sweden in Stockholm on September 30, 2024. (AFP)
Policemen stand outside Morocco's embassy to Sweden in Stockholm on September 30, 2024. (AFP)
Updated 48 sec ago
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Man arrested after breaking into Moroccan embassy in Sweden

Policemen stand outside Morocco's embassy to Sweden in Stockholm on September 30, 2024. (AFP)
  • The perpetrator, who has not yet been identified, is suspected of breaking and entering, aggravated vandalism and causing bodily injury, after shattered glass from a window fell on a passerby on the street, they added

STOCKHOLM: A man was arrested on Monday after breaking into Morocco’s embassy in Stockholm and smashing windows before hanging a rainbow flag from a window, police said.
Police stormed the building and arrested the man, who daily newspaper Aftonbladet said was armed with a knife and had barricaded himself in a room.
The man’s motive was not immediately known, police said.
The perpetrator, who has not yet been identified, is suspected of breaking and entering, aggravated vandalism and causing bodily injury, after shattered glass from a window fell on a passerby on the street, they added.
“The person was not seriously injured and was going to seek medical help on their own,” police said.
The embassy has yet to respond to AFP’s request for comment.
 

 


Grief and fear in Damascus after Nasrallah killing

Grief and fear in Damascus after Nasrallah killing
Updated 3 min 38 sec ago
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Grief and fear in Damascus after Nasrallah killing

Grief and fear in Damascus after Nasrallah killing

DAMASCUS: In central Damascus, a giant screen aired images of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as news of his killing in an Israeli strike reverberated across the city.

Syrians fear Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon could spill into regime-held areas, which have already faced hundreds of Israeli strikes over the years.

“Sayyed Nasrallah’s killing was a great shock and a tragedy for us and Arab nations,” said Ayham Barada, a 30-year-old shop owner. 

“We lost a man of great stature.”

Nasrallah was a key ally of President Bashar Assad and backed the Damascus regime’s forces during the Syrian civil war. 

His group, alongside Russia and Iran, helped Assad to claw back lost territory.

Assad offered condolences to Nasrallah’s family, saying he “will remain in the memory of Syrians” for heading the group during its fight “alongside Syria in its war against the tools of Israel.”

In Damascus, the group has a presence in the Sayyida Zeinab area south of the capital, home to an important Shiite Muslim shrine that is protected by pro-Iran groups.

Nasrallah’s face adorns walls across the neighborhood, and prayers echo from loudspeakers. Residents say that young men distribute white roses and water to passersby. In other parts of the city, mourners gathered for three days to mark his death.


Lebanon’s prime minister calls for ceasefire with Israel

Lebanon’s prime minister calls for ceasefire with Israel
Updated 49 min 50 sec ago
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Lebanon’s prime minister calls for ceasefire with Israel

Lebanon’s prime minister calls for ceasefire with Israel
  • France, the UAE begin relief efforts
  • Hezbollah’s deputy chief vows to keep fighting

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for a ceasefire on Monday in the fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah during a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Beirut.

According to a statement from his office, Mikati said: “The key to the solution is to put an end to the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and to revive the appeal launched by the United States and France … in favor of a ceasefire.”

As Israel deploys troops in preparation for a potential ground incursion into Lebanon, and amid the ongoing displacement in the south, Bekaa and Beirut’s southern suburbs, Barrot held discussions in Beirut with Lebanese officials, politicians, religious leaders, and the army.

In a statement issued by the French Embassy, Barrot affirmed that “in the face of the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, France stands alongside Lebanon and remains committed to protecting civilians, and the security of its citizens.”

Barrot emphasized “France’s support for Lebanon and its people,” adding that “his country is keen on supporting the Lebanese army and helping it during these critical times.”

The plane carrying the French official to Beirut had brought “12 tonnes of medicines and medical supplies in response to emergencies and general medical needs, particularly pediatric care.”

The embassy said that the relief operation was carried out in cooperation with the EU.

During his meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, Barrot focused on the “importance of electing a president as a foundation and priority, while emphasizing the need for stopping the war.”

Walid Ghayyad, the media official at the patriarchate, said that Barrot’s visit was “one of solidarity and reconnaissance, aimed at pushing forward key issues.”

Mikati reiterated during his meeting with Barrot that “the gateway to a solution is stopping the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and returning to the call made by the US and France, with the support of the EU and Arab and foreign countries, for a ceasefire.”

He stressed that “the priority is the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”

He added: “Once the ceasefire is in effect, we are ready to send the army to the area south of the Litani River to fully carry out its duties in coordination with the international peacekeeping forces in the south.”

Barrot spoke of the “priority of electing a president and working to stop the armed confrontations.”

Barrot announced during his meeting with Health Minister Firass Abiad “the launch of emergency humanitarian aid worth €10 million to support the work of humanitarian organizations on the ground, most notably the Lebanese Red Cross.”

The diplomatic meetings went ahead as the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan ordered urgent relief aid to the Lebanese people, valued at $100 million, the Emirates News Agency reported.

In the first appearance of a Hezbollah official since the assassination of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah last Friday, Sheikh Naim Qassem, the group’s deputy secretary-general, said in a televised speech: “We will choose a new secretary-general at the earliest opportunity and we will fill leadership positions.

“The brothers continue their work according to the organized structure, and work with alternative plans for individuals and leaders.

“In Hezbollah’s structure there are deputies for the leaders and backup alternatives ready if a leader in any position is incapacitated.”

Qassem added: “Despite losing several leaders, the attacks on civilians, and the great sacrifices, we will not budge an inch from our positions.

“The Islamic resistance will continue to confront the Israeli enemy in support of Gaza and Palestine and defense of Lebanon and its people.”

Qassem stressed that “Hezbollah remains committed to its struggle, and we are fully prepared for a ground engagement and to enter this battle, and we will emerge victorious from it.”

His defiant stance came as Israel killed the leader of Hamas in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu Al-Amin, inside the El Buss camp in the city of Tyre.

His wife, Umayya Ibrahim Abdel Hamid, his son Amin and his daughter Wafaa were also killed in the airstrike that targeted his residence.

Hamas said Abu Al-Amin was “a member of the Hamas leadership abroad.”

An attack on Palestinian leaders in Lebanon occurred at dawn when an Israeli drone targeted a residential apartment in the Cola area of central Beirut, which is close to the Palestinian camps in the city.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said that three of its members were killed in the attack, which claimed four lives in total and injured four others, according to the Ministry of Health.

The killing of dozens of civilians has also continued in the face of Israeli airstrikes targeting residential buildings.

Additionally, bombing took place targeting Hezbollah’s supply routes in the high Lebanese mountains, particularly those connecting the Bekaa to other regions. The road to Ainata-Al Ariz was also bombed for the first time.

Five members of the Civil Defense in the Islamic Health Organization, affiliated with Hezbollah, were killed early on Monday in an airstrike targeting their facilities in the town of Sohmor in the Western Bekaa region.

The death toll from an airstrike on a residential building in the town of Ain Al-Dalab, east of the city of Sidon, has risen to 45 with 70 others reported injured, according to the Ministry of Health.

Three people were killed in another raid on Monday on the outskirts of Bnaafoul in the Sidon district.

Further raids on towns in Tyre district resulted in one death and several injuries.

In the Hermel area of the Bekaa two missiles struck residential buildings, resulting in the deaths of 12 people and 20 members of the Hassan Al-Jawhari family receiving injuries.

The Israeli army also carried out a raid on the Syrian Jdeidet Yabous border crossing with Lebanon, targeting a group transporting Hezbollah members across the border, which led to the killing of the group’s transportation official and his driver.

In retaliation, Hezbollah said it bombed the Naoura base with a salvo of Fadi-2 missiles.

 


UN peacekeepers in Lebanon ‘not able’ to patrol: UN spokesman

UN peacekeepers in Lebanon ‘not able’ to patrol: UN spokesman
Updated 54 min 32 sec ago
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UN peacekeepers in Lebanon ‘not able’ to patrol: UN spokesman

UN peacekeepers in Lebanon ‘not able’ to patrol: UN spokesman
  • Stephane Dujarric: ‘Given the intensity of the rockets going back and forth, they are not able to do patrolling’
  • Dujarric: ‘We have a contingency plan and we’re looking at the situation hour by hour’

UNITED NATIONS, UNITED STATES: United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon have been unable to conduct patrols because of the intensity of Israeli strikes and Hezbollah’s rockets targeting Israel, a UN spokesman said Monday.
With more than 10,000 personnel, the peacekeeping force has been stationed in Lebanon since 1978, with its role strengthened after a 33-day conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
“Our UNIFIL Blue Helmets remain in position in the mission’s area of responsibility, while the intensity of fighting is preventing their movements and ability to undertake their mandated tasks,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a media briefing.
“Given the intensity of the rockets going back and forth, they are not able to do patrolling,” he added.
Even before the dramatic escalation in fighting seen in recent weeks, several Blue Helmets had been wounded in the crossfire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.
The peacekeepers mission, under Security Council Resolution 1701, is to “control the area” and help the Lebanese government and armed forces establish control south of the Litani River, which is around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border with Israel.
The resolution ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.
It called for all armed personnel to pull back north of the Litani, except for Lebanese state security forces and United Nations peacekeepers.
While Hezbollah has not had a visible military presence in the border area since then, the group still holds sway over large parts of the south.
Dujarric said the peacekeepers “are able to observe what they can from where they are but they are not doing any road patrols,” adding that some civilian staff “have been moved north” as a precaution.
“We have a contingency plan and we’re looking at the situation hour by hour,” he added.


Syria urges UN to stop Israeli aggression against neighbors

Syria urges UN to stop Israeli aggression against neighbors
Updated 30 September 2024
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Syria urges UN to stop Israeli aggression against neighbors

Syria urges UN to stop Israeli aggression against neighbors
  • Foreign Minister Bassam Al-Sabbagh blames US for allowing Israel to operate with impunity
  • Demands return of occupied Golan Heights, warns states to stop interfering in his country’s domestic affairs

LONDON: Syria’s foreign minister on Monday urged the world to do more to end Israeli aggression towards its neighbors, blaming the US for hindering international peace and security.

Bassam Al-Sabbagh made the comments to the UN General Assembly in a wide-ranging address in which he also defended his government’s record during Syria’s civil war, hit out at interference in its domestic affairs by foreign states, and demanded the return of Syrian territory occupied by Israel.

“For more than a decade, Syria has experienced unparalleled suffering,” he said. “It fell victim to a fierce terrorist war, direct attacks on its territories that continue to this day, a multifaceted and stifling economic blockade, and … unprecedented political and media incitement campaigns. 

“Billions of dollars were spent to erode the development progress that Syria has worked over decades to achieve.

“Billions more were spent to spread chaos and undermine security and stability, and to force millions of Syrians to leave their homes only to become internally displaced or refugees in other countries.

“Despite everything, we’ve remained faithful to our strong beliefs, our firm positions and to the choices we made as a nation.

“Syria never hesitated to protect and defend its people, and never faltered in its war on terrorism.”

He said the way his government was treated on the international stage “revealed the true intentions of the collective West, which completely contradict the principles and purposes that form the pillars and foundation and function of (the UN).”

Al-Sabbagh was unequivocal in his condemnation of Israel’s “expansionist and racist occupation and ongoing aggression,” blaming the US for preventing the UN Security Council “from fulfilling its responsibility to confront threats to international peace and security.”

He told the UNGA: “The ongoing Israeli occupation of Arab territory since 1967, including the Syrian Arab Golan (Heights) and the genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity it commits, are a glaring example of the failure of this organization.”

Al-Sabbagh added: “Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has continued to commit bloody and terrorist crimes, adding another chapter to its seven decade-long criminal record over the past months.

“The occupying forces and settler gangs have been carrying out savage aggression on the Palestinian people and committing a genocide before the eyes of the whole world, which has claimed the lives of more than 42,000 Palestinians, most of whom are children and women.

“The Syrian Arab Republic strongly condemns the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, and renews its solidarity with a legitimate struggle to liberate their occupied land and establish an independent state on their entire national territory with Jerusalem as its capital, while ensuring the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions.

“The Israeli occupying forces … have chosen to drag the region into a serious escalation while benefiting from the immunity, impunity and unlimited support provided by certain countries, in particular the US.

“In a clear case of hypocrisy and double standards, Israeli forces have scaled up their attacks on countries in the region, including my country, Syria, targeting vital civilian facilities, residential buildings and even diplomatic premises, resulting in the death of dozens of civilians, significant material damage and hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syrians.”

Al-Sabbagh also touched upon developments in Lebanon, saying: “Two weeks ago, the Israeli occupation authorities committed an unprecedented crime against Lebanese by using the means of communication as a tool to kill unarmed civilians in a collective manner. 

“A few days ago, the Israeli occupation authorities targeted the southern suburb of Beirut with a treacherous and cowardly (act of) aggression, destroying an entire residential block using tons of explosives … to assassinate Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah.”

Al-Sabbagh added: “This large-scale Israeli aggression … is pushing the region to the brink of a dangerous escalation and confrontation whose consequences can’t be predicted, and causing disastrous effects on peace and security, not only in our region but also beyond it. 

“The Syrian Arab Republic calls on all member states of the UN to work towards ending the Israeli aggression against Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, and hold the occupation authorities accountable for their crimes, as well as prevent impunity.

“The Syrian Republic reiterates that the Golan is an occupied Syrian territory and that its inhabitants are Syrian Arab citizens who are, and will always be, an integral part of the people of Syria.”

Al-Sabbagh condemned foreign interference in Syria, demanding that other states take steps to repatriate their citizens currently imprisoned in the country for affiliation with terrorist organizations.

“The crimes and attacks of the Israeli occupying forces against Syria can’t be seen in separation from the subversive role played by certain Western countries, especially the US,” he said. 

“These countries have continued to violate Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity by illegally deploying their military forces inside Syria’s territory, allowing their officials to sneak into Syria and supporting separatist militia and terrorist groups.

“These countries have also worked to exacerbate the humanitarian situation of the Syrian people by depriving them of the benefit of their resources as a result of their systematic looting of Syria’s national riches and by imposing inhumane, unilateral coercive measures.”

He added: “Syria is healing from the wounds of what it has been exposed and subjected to — it looks to the future with a sense of hope and optimism.

“However, the success of its efforts necessarily requires the collective West to stop politicizing humanitarian work and linking it to political conditionality.

“Donors need to fulfill their pledges in humanitarian funding and provide sustainable solutions for livelihoods and supporting resilience.”

Al-Sabbagh concluded: “My country reiterates its call for the immediate, full and unconditional lifting of unilateral coercive measures as they amount to collective punishment … and the flagrant violation of the UN Charter.”