54 journalists killed in 2024, a third by Israel: media group

54 journalists killed in 2024, a third by Israel: media group
Fifty-four journalists were killed worldwide while carrying out their work or because of their profession in 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 12 December 2024
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54 journalists killed in 2024, a third by Israel: media group

54 journalists killed in 2024, a third by Israel: media group
  • Fifty-four journalists were killed worldwide while carrying out their work or because of their profession in 2024

PARIS: Fifty-four journalists were killed worldwide while carrying out their work or because of their profession in 2024, a third of them by the Israeli army, according to an annual report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published Thursday.
According to the press freedom NGO, Israeli armed forces were responsible for the deaths of 18 journalists this year — 16 in Gaza and two in Lebanon.
“Palestine is the most dangerous country for journalists, recording a higher death toll than any other country over the past five years,” RSF said in its annual report, which covers data up to December 1.
The organization has filed four complaints with the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “war crimes committed against journalists by the Israeli army.”
It said that in total “more than 145” journalists had been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza since the start of the war there in October 2023, with 35 of them working at the time of their deaths, RSF said.
It described the number of killings as “an unprecedented bloodbath.”
In a separate report published Tuesday, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reported that 104 journalists were killed worldwide in 2024, with more than half of them in Gaza.
The figures differ between the IFJ and RSF due to two different methodologies used in calculating the toll.
RSF only includes journalists whose deaths have been “proven to be directly related to their professional activity.”
Israel denies that it intentionally harms journalists but admits that some have been killed in air strikes on military targets.
“We don’t accept these figures. We don’t believe they are correct,” Israeli government spokesman David Mercer told a press conference on Wednesday.
After Gaza, the deadliest places for journalists in 2024 were Pakistan with seven deaths, followed by Bangladesh and Mexico with five each.
In 2023, the number of journalists killed worldwide stood at 45 in the same January-December period.
As of December 1, there were 550 journalists imprisoned worldwide, compared to 513 last year, according to RSF figures.
The three countries with the highest numbers of detained journalists are China (124, including 11 in Hong Kong), Myanmar (61), and Israel (41).
Furthermore, 55 journalists are currently being held hostage, including two abducted in 2024. Nearly half — 25 in total — are in the hands of the Daesh group.
In addition, 95 journalists are reported missing, including four new cases reported in 2024.


Israel wants no celebrations when Palestinian prisoners freed in Gaza deal

Updated 6 sec ago
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Israel wants no celebrations when Palestinian prisoners freed in Gaza deal

Israel wants no celebrations when Palestinian prisoners freed in Gaza deal
“The commissioner of the Israel Prison Service, Major General Kobi Yakobi, instructed that.. to prevent public displays of joy in Ashkelon,” the statement said
Instead “special units” from the prison service would handle transport

JEURSALEM: The Israel Prison Service said on Friday it was taking measures to prevent any “public displays of joy” when Palestinian prisoners are released as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
It said in a statement that it was preparing for the release of prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages held in Gaza, which the prime minister’s office said could begin on Sunday.
The prison service said that two jails, one near Jerusalem and another near the southern city of Ashkelon, had begun preparations for the releases by gathering prisoners to be freed.
“The commissioner of the Israel Prison Service, Major General Kobi Yakobi, instructed that.. to prevent public displays of joy in Ashkelon and other areas of Israel, the escort from ‘Shikma’ Prison will not be handled by civilian buses of the (International Committee of the) Red Cross,” the statement said.
The Geneva-based ICRC oversaw the only previous prisoner exchange of the war, in November 2023, when 105 hostages held in Gaza were freed, the 80 Israelis among them in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Instead “special units” from the prison service would handle transport, the statement said.
Jakobi also told prisoners earmarked for release to “refrain from expressions of joy within Israel.”
Israel’s security cabinet approved the deal on Friday and it now goes before the full cabinet.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged his political allies to reject the deal in a statement on Friday, pointing to the releases.
He said that Palestinians “serving life sentences” for killing Israelis would be released in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
“I call on my friends in Likud and Religious Zionism, it’s not too late, we are before a government meeting, this deal can still be stopped,” he said, referring to two other parties in the governing coalition.
During the initial 42 days of the ceasefire, 33 hostages are to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, according to mediators and officials from both sides.

The Israel Prison Service said on Friday it was taking measures to prevent any “public displays of joy” when Palestinian prisoners are released as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal. (File/Supplied)

Japan provides grant to Caritas Lebanon for mammography machine in Sin El Fil

Japan provides grant to Caritas Lebanon for mammography machine in Sin El Fil
Updated 17 January 2025
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Japan provides grant to Caritas Lebanon for mammography machine in Sin El Fil

Japan provides grant to Caritas Lebanon for mammography machine in Sin El Fil
  • Ambassador Magoshi Masayuki signed a grant contract with Father Michel Abboud, President of Caritas Lebanon
  • The center has faced significant challenges due to the economic crisis

BEIRUT: Japan, through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Program (GGP), extended a helping hand to Caritas Lebanon by providing a mammography machine to its Sin El Fil Primary Healthcare Center (PHCC).
On Friday, Ambassador Magoshi Masayuki signed a grant contract with Father Michel Abboud, President of Caritas Lebanon.
The Sin El Fil PHCC, established by Caritas Lebanon in 1985, serves as the sole healthcare center in the town of Sin El Fil, providing essential low-cost primary medical services to approximately 300 patients daily, including Lebanese, Syrian refugees, and migrant workers.
Despite its vital role, the center has faced significant challenges due to the economic crisis, including the breakdown of its mammography machine two and a half years ago. This has left residents without affordable breast cancer screening services, forcing patients to rely on costly private facilities or forego testing altogether.
Recognizing the urgent need for early detection of breast cancer and other diseases, Japan has decided to support the Sin El Fil PHCC by providing a new mammography machine.
This project will enable the center to resume affordable breast cancer screening services and to benefit approximately 1,700 patients annually, aligning with the Lebanese government’s ‘National Cancer Plan (2023-2028)’ and the National Health Strategy, which emphasize early detection and primary healthcare.
At the signing ceremony, Ambassador Magoshi commended Caritas Lebanon’s commitment to supporting vulnerable communities through comprehensive medical services.
Caritas Lebanon, in turn, has expressed its gratitude for Japan’s support, highlighting the significance of this project amid the ongoing socio-economic challenges in Lebanon.


UK MPs urge Israel to reconsider UNRWA ban

UK MPs urge Israel to reconsider UNRWA ban
Updated 17 January 2025
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UK MPs urge Israel to reconsider UNRWA ban

UK MPs urge Israel to reconsider UNRWA ban
  • The chair of the UK parliament’s International Development Committee echoed his call on Friday
  • “While news of a ceasefire is encouraging, the situation on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank remains alarming,” said Sarah Champion

LONDON: British lawmakers warned Friday that an Israeli ban on the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency due to be implemented this month threatens to undermine efforts for peace in the Middle East.
A long-awaited ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the 15-month war in Gaza is due to take effect this weekend.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Thursday that legislation barring UNRWA from operating in Israel and east Jerusalem due to be implemented by the end of January threatened the agreement.
“What we don’t want is this peace, that begins on Sunday, undermined by that legislation just a few days into its passing,” he told parliament on Thursday.
The chair of the UK parliament’s International Development Committee echoed his call on Friday.
“While news of a ceasefire is encouraging, the situation on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank remains alarming,” said Sarah Champion, from the ruling Labour party.
“Israel’s proposed ban on UNRWA would prevent aid distribution in Gaza, devastate Palestinian livelihoods and send disruptive ripples throughout the Middle East.”
Her comments came as her committee published a report urging the British government to “do all it can” to ensure UNRWA is able to continue its work.
The report concluded that if UNRWA were banned it would almost certainly lead to further conflict and displacement.
UNRWA provides aid to some six million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
But the agency has faced criticism from Israeli officials that has escalated since the start of the war in Gaza, which was unleashed after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Israel claims that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the assault, which resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s ensuing campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing 46,788 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.
A series of probes, including one led by France’s former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some “neutrality related issues” at UNRWA but stressed Israel had not provided evidence for its chief allegations.


Macron announces new Lebanon ‘reconstruction’ conference in Paris

Macron announces new Lebanon ‘reconstruction’ conference in Paris
Updated 17 January 2025
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Macron announces new Lebanon ‘reconstruction’ conference in Paris

Macron announces new Lebanon ‘reconstruction’ conference in Paris
  • “As soon as the president (Aoun) comes to Paris in a few weeks’ time, we will organize around him an international reconstruction conference to drum up funding,” Macron said
  • “The international community must prepare for massive support to the reconstruction of infrastructure“

BEIRUT: France’s President Emmanuel Macron Friday announced that Paris would in coming weeks host an international reconstruction conference after a war between militant group Hezbollah and Israel.
After more than two years of a political vacuum at the top of the small Mediterranean country, Joseph Aoun was elected president on January 9 and chose Nawaf Salam as prime minister designate.
“Since January 9, in the middle of winter, spring has sprung,” Macron said at a joint press conference with Aoun.
“You are this hope,” he said, referring to Aoun and Salam.
The new prime minister faces the monumental task of forming a government to oversee reconstruction after a November ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war, and enact reforms to lift the country out of its worst economic crisis in history.
“As soon as the president (Aoun) comes to Paris in a few weeks’ time, we will organize around him an international reconstruction conference to drum up funding,” Macron said.
“The international community must prepare for massive support to the reconstruction of infrastructure.”
Under the ceasefire deal, the Lebanese army must deploy alongside UN peacekeepers in the south of Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws by January 26.
At the same time, Hezbollah is required to pull its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure it has in the country’s south.
With just over a week to go until the cut-off date, Macron called for accelerated implementation of the truce.
“There have been results... but they must be accelerated and long-lasting. There needs to be complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the Lebanese army must hold total monopoly of any weapons” in south Lebanon, he said.
A committee composed of Israeli, Lebanese, French and US delegates, alongside a representative from UNIFIL, has been tasked with monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire deal.


EU’s Kallas says talks under way to revive Rafah border mission

EU’s Kallas says talks under way to revive Rafah border mission
Updated 17 January 2025
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EU’s Kallas says talks under way to revive Rafah border mission

EU’s Kallas says talks under way to revive Rafah border mission
  • The mission operated for only a year and a half before it was suspended when Hamas militants took control of the Gaza Strip
  • The EU is “in discussions about redeploying our monitoring mission to Rafah to ensure the stability at the border, so we have it ready,” Kallas told reporters

BRUSSELS: The European Union is in talks to revive a civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah following the announcement of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
A civilian EU mission to help monitor the Rafah crossing was set up under agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in 2005, part of international help with peace efforts at a time when Israel had pulled troops and settlers from Gaza.
But the mission operated for only a year and a half before it was suspended when Hamas militants took control of the Gaza Strip and drove out the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.
Kallas met with the Palestinian Authority’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Brussels on Friday morning and spoke on the phone with Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
The EU is “in discussions about redeploying our monitoring mission to Rafah to ensure the stability at the border, so we have it ready,” Kallas told reporters in Brussels.
Kallas said redeploying would require invitations from Israel and the Palestinian Authority as well as a cooperation agreement with Egypt. She said the mission now had ten international staff and eight locals on standby.
“We will also be ready to assist in reconstruction and recovery,” she said.
Kallas said the EU was committed to a two-state solution to the broader Israel-Palestinian conflict.
“Of course lasting peace means compromises on both sides,” she said. “I think there is a chance to prevent further loss of life with this ceasefire.”