Author: Steven Sahiounie

Ghada Alhaddad, Oxfam’s communications officer in Gaza, says the situation in the besieged enclave is “undeniably terrifying and dreadful”. “Fear for one’s life and the lives of loved ones is ever-present. I find myself constantly checking the news for updates. The loss of life has been devastating and even Gaza’s once vibrant streets have been reduced to ruins,” she told Al Jazeera. Alhaddad said basic necessities such as food and water have become “scarce commodities”. “Finding essential items like diapers on grocery store shelves has become nearly impossible. Many children have resorted to using the bathroom without being able to…

“We deny those allegations, we have not made use of white phosphorus, not in Gaza and not in Lebanon,” an Israeli military spokesman said Israel on Friday denied accusations from rights groups that it had deployed the incendiary weapon white phosphorus in its war against Hamas militants in the densely populated Gaza Strip, after the Islamists’ deadly attack at the weekend. “We deny those allegations, we have not made use of white phosphorus, not in Gaza and not in Lebanon,” an Israeli military spokesman said. Israel has been pounding Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in recent days, after the…

The number of Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli fire now stands at 11, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Source: Aljazeera

The journalist killed in the attack in southern Lebanon is Reuters news videographer Issam Abdallah, the news agency has said in a statement. “We are deeply saddened to learn that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed,” the statement said. Issam was part of a Reuters crew in southern Lebanon who was providing a live video signal. “We are urgently seeking more information, working with authorities in the region, and supporting Issam’s family and colleagues,” Reuters said. “Reuters journalists Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh also sustained injuries and are seeking medical care. Our thoughts are with their families at this…

Mansour Shouman, a resident of Gaza, has spoken to Al Jazeera from the north of the enclave. He said many Palestinians there do not feel it is safe to travel south and have chosen to hunker down. He expected the internet to soon be cut in the besieged enclave. “Ninety-nine percent of the people in Gaza have nothing to do with Hamas, particularly the military wing. We are just people who want to live a free life. People who want to enjoy life, and we cannot be held responsible for the actions of one group or another,” he said. “The…

Jonathan Daghar, the head of the Middle East desk at Reporters Without Borders, says early information indicates the journalists hit in Lebanon were identifiable and not surrounded by combatants. “We still have a little bit of missing information, but everything that we have and we know so far is pointing at a deliberate attack,” he told Al Jazeera. “We’re still going to look at all the information, but if it does turn out that it’s deliberate, then we are talking about a war crime,” he said. “This reminds us, unfortunately, of [Al Jazeera journalist] Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022, who…

Hamas officials say 70 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli air strikes on convoys fleeing Gaza City. Hamas’s media office said the cars were struck in three places as they headed south from Gaza City. It was not immediately clear who the target of the attack was or whether fighters were among the passengers. No immediate response from Israel was available. The Israeli army ordered Gaza residents to evacuate the city early on Friday ahead of an expected ground invasion. “We tell the people of northern Gaza and from Gaza City, stay put in your homes…

A journalist confirmed killed by shelling in Alma al Shaab in southern Lebanon is the latest death of a media worker in the conflict. At least six Palestinian journalists were killed in the first days of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. They were Saeed al-Taweel, Mohammed Subh, Hisham Alnwajha, Ibrahim Mohammad Lafi, Mohammad Jarghoun and Mohammad el-Salhi. In response, Sherif Mansour of the Committee to Protect Journalists called on “all sides to remember that journalists are civilians and should not be targeted”. Source: Aljazeera

The humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, says Israel has given the medical facility in northern Gaza two hours to evacuate. It said its staff is still treating patients despite the evacuation order. It condemned “the continued indiscriminate bloodshed and attacks on health care in Gaza”. “We are trying to protect our staff and patients,” MSF wrote on X. Source: Aljazeera

Prime Minister Hussein Arnous inspected the works underway to repair the damage caused by the Israeli aggression on the Damascus International Airport. The work is carried out by staff from the Ministry of Transportation, as well as construction, technical and academic companies. Immediately after the attack, work to repair the damage began. Arnous stressed the importance of all sides involved in this process making concerted efforts, setting a precise schedule and following it around the clock to complete the repair of the damaged parts of the runways as quickly as possible. He stressed the need to strictly adhere to safety…