Author: Steven Sahiounie

NEW YORK CITY: Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the UN on Friday said not only is his country “saddened by the death of civilians but also we are angry and disappointed at the international community’s failure to assist even with medicine, food and shelter.” Abdulaziz Alwasil was speaking during a briefing by senior UN humanitarian officials, in which the organization’s emergency relief coordinator, Martin Griffiths, described what is unfolding in Israel and Gaza as a stain on collective human conscience. Griffiths called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as humanitarian pauses in Gaza so that aid…

CAIRO: US Special Envoy David Satterfield said on Saturday that US officials had not been told that Hamas is blocking or diverting humanitarian aid flowing into the Gaza Strip amid shortages of food, medicine and fuel. Speaking to reporters in the Jordanian capital Amman, he said that those distributing aid in Gaza had not reported aid being diverted since trucks resumed crossing the Egypt-controlled Rafah gate on Oct. 21 after diplomatic wrangling to resume the flow.Those in charge of the aid “do not report to us in this 10 day, 12 day period of assistance delivery, interdiction of or seizure…

AMMAN: Arab states will press U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza at a meeting of foreign ministers in Amman on Saturday, as Washington tries to persuade Israel to agree to temporary pauses to allow in aid. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said during the meeting the international community should carry out its responsibilities towards stopping military operations in the region, in a way that contributes to stopping the blood of unarmed civilians. A day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointedly snubbed Blinken’s blunt warning that Israel risks losing any hope of an eventual peace deal…

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum in southern Gaza says routes linking the north of the strip to its south have been deemed unsafe by civilians after Israel’s warning to evacuate. Israel has struck convoys attempting to leave as per its instructions in the past, and people have been afraid to make the journey south without power and without safety guarantees. Several areas in the south have also been repeatedly attacked. Families find it difficult to walk on foot without fuel to operate their vehicles. Meanwhile, Israel has continued targeting “different residential buildings and destroying complete neighbourhoods over civilians’ heads”, Abu…

Hamas’s Al Qassam Brigades says fighters are still battling advancing Israeli troops northwest of Gaza City, south of Gaza City, in Beit Hanoun and the northeastern Strip. “They are fighting with valour and courage. They continue to confront and destroy the enemy’s vehicles,” said Abu Obaida, a spokesperson for the armed wing of Hamas. In the last 48 hours, Hamas fighters destroyed 24 Israeli military vehicles, including a tank, an armoured personnel carrier, and a bulldozer with anti-armour weapons, notably Al Yassin 105 shells. Source: AlJazeera

Data reported by the charity organization ‘Save the Children’ shows the number of children killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel’s ongoing aggression has exceeded annual figures related to global conflicts over the past four years. The international NGO says that Israel’s brutal military attack against Gaza, which began on October 7th has so far killed more than the annual number of children killed in armed conflicts globally in each of the past four years. According to multiple reports, corroborated by the Palestinian health ministry as well as the Defence for Children International (DCI) NGO, one child…

The Iranian and Brazilian foreign ministers urge an immediate end to the relentless Israeli onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip and the dispatch of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. In a telephone conversation on Saturday, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira discussed the latest developments in Gaza. Israel struck the besieged territory from air, ground and sea for the 29th consecutive day on Saturday. The top Iranian diplomat said Brazil has made diplomatic international efforts regarding the critical situation in Gaza and presented a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council on the establishment of…

In the wake of the devastating Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, the death toll has surged to at least 9, 572, with over 26,000 individuals wounded, the Ministry of Health said in an update this afternoon. The Ministry said in a statement that the number of deaths in the Gaza Strip has reached 9,425, while the death toll in the West Bank also surged to 147. In addition, the ministry said, 25,000 Palestinians have been injured in Gaza, and nearly 2,200 others in the West Bank. As of October 29, said the ministry,…

The spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces says Israeli military forces are terribly afraid of face-to-face engagement with the Palestinian resistance fighters in the Gaza Strip, stating that the Tel Aviv regime is heavily bombing civilians out of despair. Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi made the remarks at an event in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman on Saturday to mark the national Student Day and the National Day of Fight against Global Arrogance, which Iranians celebrate on November 4. “World powers are incapable of confronting the small group of Hamas. They are afraid of fighting face-to-face [battles] with Hamas, and…

Displaced people in Rafah in southern Gaza are appealing to the UN and other bodies to take action to improve the poor living conditions inside the crowded facilities sheltering families fleeing the war. Sawsan Abu Tayla said drinking water and electricity are not available inside the UNRWA schools, adding that she cannot prepare milk for her infant son. “We do not receive food aid for the children,” the Palestinian woman said. Abu Tayla also pointed out that there is a lack of cleanliness in classrooms, bathrooms and courtyards, which has led to the spread of diseases among children, such as…