Hamas claims it killed 12 Israeli-backed fighters, Israeli-supported group says they were aid workers

The militia, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, said its fighters had attacked Hamas and killed five militants but made no mention of its own casualties. (AFP/File Photo)
The militia, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, said its fighters had attacked Hamas and killed five militants but made no mention of its own casualties. (AFP/File Photo)
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Updated 12 June 2025
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Hamas claims it killed 12 Israeli-backed fighters, Israeli-supported group says they were aid workers

Hamas claims it killed 12 Israeli-backed fighters, Israeli-supported group says they were aid workers
  • Last week, Israel acknowledged it is supporting armed groups of Palestinians in what it says is a move to counter Hamas
  • UN and major aid groups have rejected Israeli and US-backed GHF initiative

CAIRO: A unit of Gaza’s Hamas-run police force said it killed 12 members of an Israeli-backed militia after detaining them early Thursday. Hours earlier, an Israel-supported aid group said Hamas attacked a bus carrying its Palestinian workers, killing at least five of them.

The militia, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, said its fighters had attacked Hamas and killed five militants but made no mention of its own casualties. It also accused Hamas of detaining and killing aid workers. It was not immediately possible to verify the competing claims or confirm the identities of those killed.

The Israeli military circulated the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation‘s statement on its social media accounts but declined to provide its own account of what happened.

Aid initiative already marred by controversy and violence

The aid group’s operations in Gaza have already been marred by controversy and violence since they began last month, with scores of people killed in near-daily shootings as crowds headed toward the food distribution sites inside Israeli military zones. Witnesses have blamed the Israeli military, which has acknowledged firing only warning shots near people it said approached its forces in a suspicious manner.

Earlier this week, witnesses also said Abu Shabab militiamen had opened fire on people en route to a GHF aid hub, killing and wounding many.

The United Nations and major aid groups have rejected the Israeli and US-backed initiative, accusing them of militarizing humanitarian aid at a time when experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel’s blockade and renewed military campaign.

Last week, Israel acknowledged it is supporting armed groups of Palestinians in what it says is a move to counter Hamas. Abu Shabab’s militia, which calls itself the Popular Forces, says it is guarding the food distribution points set up by the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in southern Gaza. Aid workers say it has a long history of looting UN trucks.

GHF has denied working with the Abu Shabab group.

‘They were aid workers’

In a statement released early Thursday, the foundation said Hamas had attacked a bus carrying more than two dozen “local Palestinians working side-by-side with the US GHF team to deliver critical aid” near the southern city of Khan Younis.

“We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,” it said. “These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons, and friends, who were risking their lives everyday to help others.”

It did not identify the men or say whether they were armed at the time.

Rev. Johnnie Moore, a Christian evangelical adviser to US President Donald Trump who was recently appointed head of GHF, called the killings “absolute evil” and lashed out at the UN and Western countries over what he said was their failure to condemn them.

“The principle of impartiality does not mean neutrality. There is good and evil in this world. What we are doing is good and what Hamas did to these Gazans is absolute evil,” he wrote on X.

Israel and the United States say the new system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid from the long-standing UN-run system, which is capable of delivering food, fuel and other humanitarian aid to all parts of Gaza. UN officials deny there has been any systematic diversion of aid by Hamas, but say they have struggled to deliver it because of Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of law and order in Gaza.

UN officials say the new system is unable to meet mounting needs, and that it allows Israel to use aid as a weapon by controlling who has access to it and by essentially forcing people to relocate to the aid sites, most of which are in the southernmost city of Rafah, now a mostly uninhabited military zone. Some fear this could be part of an Israeli plan to coerce Palestinians into leaving Gaza.

Hamas says it killed traitors

Hamas has also rejected the new system and threatened to kill any Palestinians who cooperate with the Israeli military. The killings early Wednesday were carried out by the Hamas-run police’s Sahm unit, which Hamas says it established to combat looting.

The unit released video footage showing several dead men lying in the street, saying they were Abu Shabab fighters who had been detained and killed for collaborating with Israel. It was not possible to verify the images or the claims around them.

Mohammed Abu Amin, a Khan Younis resident, said he was at the scene of the killings and that crowds were celebrating them, shouting “God is greatest” and condemning those killed as traitors to the Palestinian cause and agents of Israel.

Ghassan Duhine, who identifies himself as a major in the Palestinian Authority’s security forces and deputy commander of the Abu Shabab group, posted a statement online saying they clashed with Sahm and killed five. He denied that the images shared by Sahm were of Abu Shabab fighters.

The Palestinian Authority, led by rivals of Hamas and based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has denied any connection to the Abu Shabab group, but many of the militiamen identify themselves as PA officers.

Mounting lawlessness as Israel steps up military campaign

Israel renewed its offensive in March after ending a ceasefire with Hamas and imposed a complete ban on imports of food, fuel, medicine and other aid before easing the blockade in mid-May.

The ongoing war and mounting desperation have plunged Gaza into chaos, with armed gangs looting aid convoys and selling the stolen food. The Hamas-run police force, which maintained a high degree of public security before the war, has largely gone underground as Israel has repeatedly targeted its forces with airstrikes. The military now controls more than half of the territory.

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage. They are still holding 53 captives, less than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s military campaign has killed over 55,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not say how many of those killed were civilians or combatants.

Israel’s offensive has flattened large areas of Gaza and driven around 90 percent of the population of roughly 2 million Palestinians from their homes. The territory is almost completely reliant on humanitarian aid because nearly all of its food production capabilities have been destroyed.

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14 million children did not receive a single vaccine in 2024, UN estimates

Updated 25 sec ago
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14 million children did not receive a single vaccine in 2024, UN estimates

14 million children did not receive a single vaccine in 2024, UN estimates
WHO and UNICEF said about 89 percent of children under 1 year old got a first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine in 2024
About 85 percent completed the three-dose series, up from 84 percent in 2023

LONDON: More than 14 million children did not receive a single vaccine last year — about the same number as the year before — according to UN health officials. Nine countries accounted for more than half of those unprotected children.

In their annual estimate of global vaccine coverage, released Tuesday, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said about 89 percent of children under 1 year old got a first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine in 2024, the same as in 2023. About 85 percent completed the three-dose series, up from 84 percent in 2023.

Officials acknowledged, however, that the collapse of international aid this year will make it more difficult to reduce the number of unprotected children. In January, US President Trump withdrew the country from the WHO, froze nearly all humanitarian aid and later moved to close the US AID Agency. And last month, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said it was pulling the billions of dollars the US had previously pledged to the vaccines alliance Gavi, saying the group had “ignored the science.”

Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has previously raised questions the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine — which has proven to be safe and effective after years of study and real-world use. Vaccines prevent 3.5 million to 5 million deaths a year, according to UN estimates.

“Drastic cuts in aid, coupled with misinformation about the safety of vaccines, threaten to unwind decades of progress,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

UN experts said that access to vaccines remained “deeply unequal” and that conflict and humanitarian crises quickly unraveled progress; Sudan had the lowest reported coverage against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. The data showed that nine countries accounted for 52 percent of all children who missed out on immunizations entirely: Nigeria, India, Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Angola.

WHO and UNICEF said coverage against measles rose slightly, with 76 percent of children worldwide receiving both vaccine doses. But experts say measles vaccine rates need to reach 95 percent to prevent outbreaks of the extremely contagious disease. WHO noted that 60 countries reported big measles outbreaks last year.

The US is now having its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades, while the disease has also surged across Europe, with 125,000 cases in 2024 — twice as many as the previous year, according to WHO.

Last week, British authorities reported a child died of measles in a Liverpool hospital. Health officials said that despite years of efforts to raise awareness, only about 84 percent of children in the UK are protected.

“It is hugely concerning, but not at all surprising, that we are continuing to see outbreaks of measles,” said Helen Bradford, a professor of children’s health at University College London. “The only way to stop measles spreading is with vaccination,” she said in a statement. “It is never too late to be vaccinated — even as an adult.”

Lebanon central bank bans interactions with Hezbollah financial group

Lebanon central bank bans interactions with Hezbollah financial group
Updated 46 min 21 sec ago
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Lebanon central bank bans interactions with Hezbollah financial group

Lebanon central bank bans interactions with Hezbollah financial group
  • The US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hassan in 2007
  • Al-Qard Al-Hassan describes itself as a charitable organization

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s central bank has banned licensed financial institutions from any direct or indirect interactions with Iran-backed Hezbollah’s financial institution Al-Qard Al-Hassan, according to a circular seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

The US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hassan in 2007, saying the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah used the institution as a cover to manage “financial activities and gain access to the international financial system.”

Al-Qard Al-Hassan, founded in 1983, describes itself as a charitable organization which provides loans to people according to Islamic principles that forbid interest.

Israel struck branches of the institution during its war with the group last year.

The organization, which operates under a license granted by the Lebanese government, has more than 30 branches, mostly in predominantly Shiite Muslim areas of Beirut, southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.


Lebanon’s worst drought on record drains largest reservoir

Lebanon’s worst drought on record drains largest reservoir
Updated 15 July 2025
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Lebanon’s worst drought on record drains largest reservoir

Lebanon’s worst drought on record drains largest reservoir
  • The Litani River National Authority said inflows to Lake Qaraoun during this year’s wet season did not exceed 45 million cubic meters
  • Last year, the figure stood at 230 million

QARAOUN, Lebanon: Water levels at Lebanon’s largest reservoir on the Litani River have fallen to historic lows amid what experts describe as the country’s worst drought on record, threatening agriculture, electricity production, and domestic water supplies.

The Litani River National Authority said inflows to Lake Qaraoun during this year’s wet season did not exceed 45 million cubic meters, a fraction of the 350 million cubic meters annual average.

Last year, the figure stood at 230 million. The water currently available in Lake Qaraoun — around 61 million cubic meters — was unusable due to severe pollution, the authority said.

“There were dry years in 1989, 1990 and 1991, but this year is the driest,” said Sami Alawieh, head of the river authority. “We are facing a water scarcity problem across all Lebanese territories and water basins.”

Drone footage of Lake Qaraoun shows a dramatically receded shoreline, exposing cracked earth and dead vegetation.

Lebanon’s hydroelectric plants tied to the Litani basin have been shut down, Alawieh said, causing financial losses and intensifying electricity rationing by Electricite du Liban.

“We have two factors: the decline in rainfall and the pressure on groundwater,” he said.

A study by the authority found climate warming and shifting weather patterns have contributed to more frequent dry seasons and higher temperatures, exacerbating soil moisture loss and reducing the recharging of groundwater reservoirs.

The state utility has slashed supply in some areas from 20 hours a day to as little as 10.

In the fertile area around Qaraoun village, in the Bekaa Valley, farmers were already feeling the impact.

“I have never seen such drought or scarcity of rain as this year,” said Safa Issa. “We used to get snow up to a meter high. Now, it’s been 10 years since we’ve seen any.”

The strain has been compounded by erratic supply of electricity needed to run irrigation systems.

“You irrigate for three hours, then stop for three,” said Fayez Omais, another local farmer.

Suzy Hoayek, an adviser to the Ministry of Energy and Water in Beirut, said a nationwide awareness campaign to reduce consumption would be launched within 10 days.

“The most important thing is to manage demand,” she said.


Jordanian anti-narcotics authorities thwart smuggling attempt on border with Syria

Jordanian anti-narcotics authorities thwart smuggling attempt on border with Syria
Updated 15 July 2025
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Jordanian anti-narcotics authorities thwart smuggling attempt on border with Syria

Jordanian anti-narcotics authorities thwart smuggling attempt on border with Syria
  • Jordanian troops forced the smugglers to retreat into Syrian territory after they deployed rapid response patrols and applied rules of engagement
  • Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic reached an agreement to establish a joint security committee aimed at securing their border in January

LONDON: The Jordanian Armed Forces thwarted a drug smuggling attempt on their northeastern border with Syria on Tuesday morning as they intensified efforts to protect national security.

The Eastern Command, which includes units from Ar-Ramtha and Mafraq near the Iraqi and Syrian borders, thwarted an infiltration and smuggling attempt involving a large quantity of narcotics, in coordination with the Anti-Narcotics Department.

Jordanian troops forced the smugglers to retreat into Syrian territory after they deployed rapid response patrols and applied rules of engagement, according to the Petra news agency. A search of the area resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of narcotics by authorities.

Last week, Jordanian anti-narcotics authorities prevented an attempt to smuggle narcotics using a drone across the country’s western border.

In January, Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic reached an agreement to establish a joint security committee aimed at securing their border, combating arms and drug smuggling, and preventing the resurgence of the Daesh terror group.


Divided EU weighs action against Israel over Gaza war

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks.
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks.
Updated 15 July 2025
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Divided EU weighs action against Israel over Gaza war

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks.
  • Bloc’s foreign policy chief put forward 10 potential steps after Israel was found to have breached cooperation deal between two sides on human rights grounds

BRUSSELS: EU foreign ministers on Tuesday discussed options for action against Israel over the war in Gaza — but looked unlikely to agree on any.
The bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has put forward 10 potential steps after Israel was found to have breached a cooperation deal between the two sides on human rights grounds.
The measures range from suspending the entire accord or curbing trade ties to sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo and halting visa-free travel.
Despite growing anger over the devastation in Gaza, EU states remain divided over how to tackle Israel and diplomats say there appears to be no critical mass for any move.
“I can’t predict how the discussion will go,” Kallas said, ahead of the foreign ministers’ talks in Brussels.
She said the main focus would likely be on how the EU could leverage improvements to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
That comes after Kallas on Thursday announced a deal with Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, to open more entry points and allow in more food.
Gaza’s two million residents face dire humanitarian conditions as Israel has severely limited aid during its war with Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“We see some positive signs when it comes to border crossings open, we see some positive signs of them reconstructing the electricity lines, providing water, also more trucks of humanitarian aid coming in,” Kallas said Monday.
But she said the situation in Gaza remained “catastrophic.”
“Of course, we need to see more in order to see real improvement for the people on the ground,” she said.
Saar, speaking at a meeting in Brussels on Monday, was confident Israel would avoid further EU action.
“I’m sure not any of them will be adopted by the EU member states,” said the foreign minister. “There’s no justification whatsoever.”
While the EU appears unable to take further moves against Israel, just getting to this stage has been a considerable step.
The bloc only agreed to review the cooperation deal after Israel relaunched military operations in Gaza following the collapse of a ceasefire in March.
Until then deep divisions between countries backing Israel and those more favorable to the Palestinians had hamstrung any move.
In a sign of that, Hungary looked likely to maintain a block on more sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank despite French minister Jean-Noel Barrot making a fresh plea for action.
The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which led to 1,219 deaths, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Of 251 people taken hostage by Hamas, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry says that at least 58,386 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory campaign. The UN considers those figures reliable.