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Russia says repels attack on border as three killed in Kyiv
Moscow said Thursday it thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to penetrate its southwestern border as it pounded Kyiv with missiles, killing three including a child. The Ukrainian capital has faced nearly nightly air raids in May, and an unusual daytime attack on Monday that sent residents running for shelter. As Kyiv deployed its air defences against a fresh volley of Russian missiles, Moscow said it pushed back an attempt by Ukrainian troops to invade its southwestern Belgorod region at about 3:00 am local (0000 GMT). "Overall, the attack involved up to 70 militants, five tanks, four armoured vehicles, seven pickup trucks and a Kamaz truck," the Russian defence ministry said in the evening, reporting at least three attempted crossings. It said it used air force and artillery to repel the attacks, killing more than 50 Ukrainian fighters. The Belgorod region, which saw an unprecedented two-day armed incursion last week, has come under intensified fire in the past days. Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said 12 people had been wounded in the previous 24 hours in the district of Shebekino, whose residents poured into centres for displaced people in Belgorod city. "There are many families with children, including infants and disabled people. We will try to provide them with as much care as possible," Belgorod mayor Valentin Demidov said. Two people were wounded in the city when a drone crashed near a petrol station, Demidov said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was being constantly informed of the situation. "The main question now is to provide assistance to people, and support resettlement for those who need it," he added. Peskov also denounced the silence from the international community over the strikes. Despite "every opportunity to see the footage describing strikes on residential buildings, social infrastructure... there is not a single word criticising Kyiv," Peskov said. Russia has seen repeated attacks on its soil, with a drone attack in Moscow last week. After at least eight drones were used in that attack, the Russian foreign ministry accused the West of "pushing the Ukrainian leadership towards increasingly reckless acts." Ukraine has denied "direct involvement." Moscow's latest attack on Kyiv began just before 3 a.m. local time when missiles were fired from Russia's Bryansk region. Ukraine's air force said it intercepted and destroyed all 10 missiles. Three people, including a nine-year-old child, were killed in Kyiv's northeastern Desnyanskyi district as a result of falling rocket fragments. Another 16 people were wounded. The husband of one of the victims, Yaroslav Ryabchuk, said the shelter where they routinely hid from Russian strikes was closed on Thursday, and he ran to seek help. "When I came back there was a lot of blood, children and women were lying there. There were screams and dust," he told AFP. "Nothing matters any more," he said, adding his children have been "left without a mother." Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the three people were killed when a fragment of a rocket fell close to a clinic as they ran for cover after an air raid alert. "A closed shelter in wartime is not just indifference, it is a crime," said Interior Minister Igor Klymenko, adding that an investigation had been opened. In a press conference in Moldova, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said people would be "held responsible" for the closed shelter. Moscow says that it only targets military installations in Ukraine. Meanwhile the UN secretary-general's office on Thursday expressed concern over a drop in Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea, citing the "specter of food inflation". A crucial agreement allowing Ukrainian grain to reach the global market despite Moscow's invasion was renewed again in May but for only two months. "We are concerned about the continuous slowdown of the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "In May, 33 vessels departed Ukrainian ports, half of the number compared to April." He linked part of the slowdown to Russian demands that its own exports of fertilizer components be freed up despite strict sanctions. The post Russia says repels attack on border as three killed in Kyiv appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Indonesia Police Kill 2 Suspected Jemaah Islamiyah Militants
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesian counterterrorism police fatally shot two men suspected of ties to Jemaah Islamiyah, an al-Qaida-linked group blamed for a string of bombings, police said Thursday.The two men, identified only by their initials, BA and ZK, were killed Wednesday in a shootout with police during a raid in Lampung, a province at the southern tip of Sumatra island, said Aswin Siregar, the spokesperson.....»»
Iraqi religious leader demands closure of American embassy
Influential religious leader Moqtada Sadr called on the Iraqi government Friday to close the United States embassy in Baghdad because of Washington’s “unconditional support” for Israel in its war with Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. “If the government and parliament do not respond, we will take a different position that we will announce later,” the Shiite cleric, who often criticizes the government, warned on X. On 22 October, Washington ordered all non-essential staff to leave its embassy in Baghdad’s high security Green Zone and its consulate in Arbil, capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has criticized the “Zionist occupation” since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza, calling it a “genocide” of the Palestinian people. On 7 October, Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, who were shot, mutilated, or burned to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials. Israel says around 1,500 Hamas fighters were killed in clashes before its army regained control of the areas under attack. More than 7,300 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across Gaza in relentless Israeli bombardments in response to the attacks, according to the Hamas health ministry in the territory. Iraqis stage regular protests to condemn the Israeli bombing and in support of the Palestinians. Militia attacks All Iraqi political factions support the Palestinian cause, and like its neighbor Iran, Israel’s sworn enemy, Iraq does not recognize the Israeli state. US forces and their coalition allies in Iraq have been the target of attacks mostly claimed by the group “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” on Telegram channels tied to pro-Iran factions. On Thursday, the Pentagon said there had been 16 such attacks in Iraq and Syria this month, and blamed “Iranian-supported militias.” The Baghdad government is supported by parties that have close links with Tehran, but it is working to maintain relations with the US, which has 2,500 soldiers on Iraqi territory. On Monday, Baghdad called the attacks on American soldiers “unacceptable” and promised to investigate. WITH AFP The post Iraqi religious leader demands closure of American embassy appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US says anti-Iran strikes in Syria hit ammunition depots
The United States said Friday it sought to degrade ammunition supplies of Iranian-linked militias with strikes in Syria but insisted it did not want to widen the Middle East conflict. The Pentagon on Thursday announced air strikes on two sites in eastern Syria it said were used by Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after a string of attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. "The purpose for those two sites that we targeted was to have a significant impact on future IRGC and Iran-backed militia group operations," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Friday. "It went right at storage facilities and ammo depots that we know will be used to support the work of these militia groups, particularly in Syria." "The main goal was to disrupt that ability and also to deter -- to prevent -- future attacks," he said. The White House earlier said that President Joe Biden had relayed a direct warning to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against militias' strikes on US troops in Syria and Iraq, where US forces are stationed as part of efforts against the Islamic State group, which also has clashed with Shiite Iran. There have been at least 14 attacks on US and allied forces in Iraq and six in Syria since October 17, a period in which 21 American military personnel suffered minor injuries and one contractor died from a cardiac incident, according to the Pentagon. The US strikes on Thursday were the first on Iranian interests since March, breaking a stretch of calm after the Biden administration opened quiet diplomacy with the US arch-enemy that led to a prisoner swap and conversations on Iran's disputed nuclear program. The October 7 assault by Hamas and Israel's retaliatory strikes have inflamed the region. Iran's clerical leaders back Hamas, while the United States is the foremost ally of Israel. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a statement Thursday, said that the strikes were "narrowly tailored" to protect US personnel. "They are separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and do not constitute a shift in our approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict," Austin said. The Pentagon said Friday evening that its current assessment is the strikes did not cause casualties. 'Finger on the trigger' In new pressure, the United States -- which already considers Hamas and the Revolutionary Guards to be terrorist organizations -- said it was imposing sanctions on a Hamas official based in Iran and members of the IRGC. The Biden administration has vowed to target the finances of Hamas, which holds hundreds of millions of dollars in global assets, according to US Treasury Department estimates. Iran also has a close relationship with Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia and political movement that has repeatedly fired at Israel but has so far stopped short of opening a full second front. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Friday that he has spoken with Lebanese and Palestinian militants and they "have their finger on the trigger" if Israel expands its ground operation into Gaza. Speaking to US National Public Radio from the United Nations, Amir-Abdollahian said the militants' actions would be "much more powerful and deeper than what you’ve witnessed." "Therefore I believe that if this situation continues and women and children and civilians are still killed in Gaza and the West Bank, anything will be possible," he said. Amir-Abdollahian insisted, however, that militants would decide their own actions, saying, "We don't really want this conflict to spread out." Addressing the General Assembly on Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian said that the Palestinians "as a nation under occupation" have the "legitimate right to resist the occupation using all available methods, including armed struggle." Hamas militants on October 7 stormed out of the blockaded Gaza Strip and killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, including children, the elderly and revelers at a music festival, and took more than 220 hostages in the deadliest attack in Israel's history. Israel has struck back with a relentless bombing campaign which Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says has killed 7,326 people, mostly civilians, among them 3,038 children. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, meeting Friday with Amir-Abdollahian, urged Iran to work toward the "unconditional and immediate release of hostages held in Gaza." The post US says anti-Iran strikes in Syria hit ammunition depots appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Crypto crackdown intensifies on Hamas finance
Cryptocurrency has become the latest front in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, analysts say. Israeli and US authorities have intensified their financial hunt into Hamas in recent days as they track illicit funds via digital currencies. Ari Redbord, global policy head at crypto tracking specialist TRM Labs, said there is now less crypto transfer activity on pro-Hamas support networks as a result. "We are seeing a lot less activity in some respects since the war began," Redbord told AFP. This is "primarily because Israel has been very aggressive and successful in taking down these fundraising efforts", he added. Israel has bombed Gaza in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas militants who, while firing a massive rocket barrage, killed more than 1,400 people and took 222 hostages on 7 October, according to Israeli authorities. Israeli strikes have now killed more than 6,500 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Shadowy world Cryptocurrency is regarded as a speedy way to move cash that is unregulated by any central bank and is less traceable than a traditional bank transfer. The shadowy world of digital units, based on decentralized blockchain technology, has gained notoriety for illicit transactions due to its under-the-radar appeal. Two weeks ago, Israeli police revealed they had located and frozen accounts linked to Hamas that sought "to solicit donations on social networks" via Binance, the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange. A Binance spokeswoman said it "follows internationally recognized sanctions rules, blocking the small number of accounts linked to illicit funds". Redbord, formerly a senior US government adviser, said Hamas had adopted crypto from 2019 at the latest, to seek funding via the Telegram messaging network and even on its own website. Hamas decided in April that it would no longer accept cash via Bitcoin due to increased global surveillance of the world's biggest digital unit. Crypto fundraising is now operated via a network of Hamas-linked support groups. TRM Labs has closely monitored virtual crypto wallets linked to such support groups since the start of the war. And it has concluded that much smaller amounts of cash than usual are being moved. Two weeks after the attacks, support group Gaza Now received less than $6,000 in one of its crypto wallets, Redbord noted. That compared with $800,000 in total since the wallet's creation in August 2021. Meanwhile, authorities are well aware that digital assets are a minor part of a complex funding picture. The US State Department estimates that Iran funnels $100 million per year to Palestinian groups including Hamas. 'Small piece of puzzle' "Cryptocurrency is a very small piece of a larger financing puzzle for Hamas," said Redbord. "They are looking to Iran; they're... imposing taxes on the Palestinians; they have a network of charities and a diaspora of supporters who are sending donations not in cryptocurrencies." "But crypto does play a role," he said. Digital currencies still represent a significant revenue stream for Hamas and other allied groups. Crypto addresses identified by Israel as being linked to Hamas received about $41 million between August 2020 and July 2023, according to Israeli analytics and software firm BitOK. Other crypto addresses linked to Islamic Jihad received in excess of $154 million between October 2022 and September 2023, with some still active, it adds. Some players in the sector simply turn a blind eye. "Some cryptoasset businesses are intentionally or unwittingly allowing misuse of the crypto ecosystem," said Joby Carpenter, an expert on the industry. "This trend is magnified where exchanges are based in lightly or unregulated jurisdictions," he told AFP. The post Crypto crackdown intensifies on Hamas finance appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden discusses Mideast war with Western allies — White House
US President Joe Biden discussed the Israel-Hamas war Sunday with leaders of major Western powers, the White House said, as Israel intensified its attacks on Gaza. Biden spoke with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy, the White House said. "The leaders reiterated their support for Israel and its right to defend itself against terrorism and called for adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians," a White House readout of the discussions said. It said the leaders discussed their own citizens trapped in the Israel-Hamas war, "in particular those wishing to leave Gaza." Fighting raged unchecked and scores more were killed in air strikes by Israel in Gaza as the humanitarian situation in the enclave worsened. Another convoy of 17 aid trucks arrived in Gaza as the Hamas-run territory faced "catastrophic" shortages. Hamas militants stormed across the border into Israel on 7 October, launching a raid that killed at least 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials. They also seized more than 200 hostages in the worst attack in Israel's history. Israel has hit back with a relentless bombing campaign that has so far killed more than 4,600 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The readout said the Western leaders voiced commitment to coordinate "to ensure sustained and safe access to food, water, medical care, and other assistance required to meet humanitarian needs." They also pledged close diplomatic coordination "to prevent the conflict from spreading, preserve stability in the Middle East, and work toward a political solution and durable peace." In addition to Biden, those on the call included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the White House said. The post Biden discusses Mideast war with Western allies — White House appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rally outside UN calls for Hamas to release hostages
Hundreds of demonstrators rallied outside the United Nations on Sunday demanding the release of hostages seized by Hamas during the Islamist group's bloody attack on Israel. The protest on the square outside the UN's Palais des Nations headquarters in Geneva was organized by the Voice for Freedom coalition, bringing together several Christian Zionist organizing committees. The gathering therefore had a religious tone, with chants and slogans intermingled with prayers and psalms. The demonstration was the culmination of a visit to Geneva by the families of several of those missing since the Hamas attack. They met with Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and UN human rights chief Volker Turk. Many demonstrators waved Israeli flags or wore them around their shoulders, or held posters featuring pictures of missing Israelis, including children. Some wore T-shirts that said "Set them free", and held placards reading: "Never again is NOW", "Innocent life is non-negotiable" and "Children aren't bargaining chips". Leon Meijer, president of Christians for Israel International, urged the UN Human Rights Council to "work for the release of the hostages", saying: "Save the lives of those who can still be saved". Multiple demonstrations Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7 and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials. It was the worst attack on civilians in Israel's history. Israel says more than 200 hostages were abducted by the militants. More than 4,600 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in relentless Israeli bombardments in retaliation for the attacks by the Palestinian Islamist militant group, according to the latest toll from the Hamas health ministry in Gaza. Several demonstrations have been held in Switzerland, some pro-Palestinian and others in solidarity with Israel. Three days after the Hamas attack, Zurich's Jewish community organized a demonstration in support of Israel, bringing together several hundred people. A demonstration in Lausanne brought together 4,500 to 5,000 people to demand an immediate end to Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip, while around 6,000 pro-Palestinian protesters rallied in Geneva last Saturday. Zurich has since decided to ban any gatherings relating to the Middle East, while Basel decided to ban all gatherings this weekend. The UN human rights office said Friday that blanket bans on peaceful assemblies were disproportionate. States "must not unduly restrict participation and debate, or critical commentary about the conflict, of expressions of solidarity with Israelis or Palestinians", spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a media briefing in Geneva. "Any restrictions on the right to peaceful assembly must be based on law, and necessary for and proportionate to the risks, such as national security, public safety or public order," she said. The post Rally outside UN calls for Hamas to release hostages appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UN chief urges ceasefire to end Gaza’s ‘godawful nightmare’
UN chief Antonio Guterres pleaded Saturday for a "humanitarian ceasefire" in the war between Israel and Hamas militants that has devastated much of Gaza, demanding "action to end this godawful nightmare". Addressing a Cairo summit that ultimately proved fruitless, according to Arab diplomats, Guterres said the Palestinian enclave of 2.4 million people was living through "a humanitarian catastrophe" with thousands dead and more than a million displaced. The latest bloodshed began on October 7 when Hamas militants killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death on the first day of the raid, and took more than 200 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Israel has hit back with a relentless bombing campaign, killing more than 4,300 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, and cut off supplies of water, electricity, fuel and food. According to Arab diplomats who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, the meeting in Cairo failed to reach an agreement, with Western representatives seeking "a clear condemnation placing responsibility for the escalation on Hamas", which Arab leaders refused. The Western officials also wanted to call for the release of those held by Hamas. Egypt's presidency instead released a statement -- drafted with the approval of Arab attendees, the diplomats said -- saying the war had laid bare "a defect in the values of the international community". World leaders have long "sought to manage the conflict, and not end it permanently, by proposing temporary solutions and palliatives that do not live up to even the lowest aspirations of a suffering people", the statement read. In response, Israel bemoaned the lack of a condemnation of what it called "Islamic terror" that endangered the region and entire world. "It is unfortunate that even when faced with those horrific atrocities, there were some who had difficulty condemning terrorism or acknowledging the danger," a foreign ministry statement said. "Israel will do what it has to do and expects the international community to recognise the righteous battle." 'Global silence' In the opening session, Guterres had said "the grievances of the Palestinian people are legitimate and long" after "56 years of occupation with no end in sight" but stressed that "nothing can justify the reprehensible assault by Hamas that terrorised Israeli civilians". He then stressed that "those abhorrent attacks can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people". In the meeting which also included the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Spain and Italy, Jordan's King Abdullah II called for "an immediate end to the war on Gaza" and condemned what he labelled "global silence" on Palestinian death and suffering. "The message the Arab world is hearing is loud and clear: Palestinian lives matter less than Israeli ones. Our lives matter less than other lives," he charged. "The application of international law is optional. And human rights have boundaries -- they stop at borders, they stop at races, and they stop at religions." The summit came on the day a first convoy of aid trucks rumbled into southern Gaza, which Guterres said needed to be rapidly scaled up, with "much more" help sent through. The UN has said that about 100 trucks per day are needed to meet worsening needs in Gaza. The Palestinians need "a continuous delivery of aid to Gaza at the scale that is needed", the UN chief told the Cairo "Summit for Peace". 'We will not leave' Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi argued that the "only solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is "justice" and said that "Palestinians must realise their legitimate rights to self-determination" and have "an independent state on their land". Abbas stressed his demand for a two-state solution and an "end to Israel's occupation" and rejected what he has warned could be a "second Nakba" -- a reference to the more than 760,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their lands during the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. "We will not leave," he repeated three times at the end of his speech. Cairo and Amman have repeatedly rejected calls for large numbers of refugees to enter Egypt from Gaza, warning that the "forced displacement" would lead to the "eradication of the Palestinian cause". Egypt and Jordan were the first Arab states to normalise relations with Israel, in 1979 and 1994 respectively, and have since been key mediators between Israeli and Palestinian officials. Turkey's foreign minister Hakan Fidan urged for the current conflict to become, "rather than a regional conflagration, a breeding ground for a just and lasting peace". He also condemned "unconditional military aid to Israel which only serves to maintain the occupation", while Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan condemned the failure of the UN Security Council to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire after a US veto. The post UN chief urges ceasefire to end Gaza’s ‘godawful nightmare’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US welcomes aid to Gaza, urges parties to keep Rafah crossing open
The United States on Saturday welcomed the arrival of aid trucks from Egypt in the war-torn Gaza Strip, and urged all parties to keep the Rafah crossing open. "The opening of this essential supply route was the result of days of diplomatic engagement at the highest levels," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "I made it clear from the outset of this crisis -- in both my public statements and private conversations -- that humanitarian assistance was a critical and urgent need that had to get moving," he said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier urged "all parties to keep the Rafah crossing open to enable the continued movement of aid that is imperative to the welfare of the people of Gaza." AFP journalists on Saturday saw 20 trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent, which is responsible for delivering aid from various UN agencies, pass through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt into Gaza. "We have been clear: Hamas must not interfere with the provision of this life-saving assistance," Blinken said. "Palestinian civilians are not responsible for Hamas's horrific terrorism, and they should not be made to suffer for its depraved acts." The opening of the supply route came after days of intense negotiations and an agreement reached by Biden with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during Biden's visit to Israel earlier this week. Saturday's was the first such delivery since the war broke out two weeks ago between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist militant movement which rules the Palestinian enclave of 2.4 million people. On October 7, Hamas militants stormed into Israel from Gaza and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burned to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials. Since then, more than 4,300 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed in relentless Israeli bombardments, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Biden said Washington would "continue working to protect civilians, consistent with obligations under international humanitarian law." He added that US diplomatic efforts were continuing to allow for Americans and their immediate families in Gaza to safely leave the territory. The post US welcomes aid to Gaza, urges parties to keep Rafah crossing open appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
First relief convoy enters Gaza devastated by ‘nightmare’ war
The first aid trucks arrived in war-torn Gaza from Egypt on Saturday, bringing urgent humanitarian relief to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave suffering what the UN chief labelled a "godawful nightmare". Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the Islamist militant group carried out the deadliest attack in the country's history on October 7. Hamas militants killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death, and took more than 200 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Israel has retaliated with a relentless bombing campaign on Gaza that has killed more than 4,300 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. An Israeli siege has cut food, water, electricity and fuel supplies to the densely populated and long-blockaded territory of 2.4 million people, sparking fears of a humanitarian catastrophe. AFP journalists on Saturday saw 20 trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent, which is responsible for delivering aid from various UN agencies, pass through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt into Gaza. The crossing -- the only one into Gaza not controlled by Israel -- closed again after the trucks passed. The lorries had been waiting for days on the Egyptian side after Israel agreed to a request from its main ally the United States to allow aid to enter. UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Friday that the relief supplies were "the difference between life and death" for many Gazans, more than one million of whom have been displaced. "Much more" aid needs to be sent, he told a peace summit in Egypt on Saturday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the aid and urged "all parties" to keep the Rafah crossing open. But a Hamas spokesman said "even dozens" of such convoys could not meet Gaza's needs, especially as no fuel was being allowed in to help distribute the supplies to those in need. 'Reeling in pain' Tens of thousands of Israeli troops have deployed to the Gaza border ahead of an expected ground offensive that officials have pledged will begin "soon". As international tensions soar, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was hosting a peace summit in Cairo on Saturday attended by regional and some Western leaders. "The time has come for action to end this godawful nightmare," Guterres told the summit, calling for a "humanitarian ceasefire". The region "is reeling in pain and one step from the precipice", he said. Guterres said "the grievances of the Palestinian people are legitimate and long" after "56 years of occupation with no end in sight". But he stressed that "nothing can justify the reprehensible assault by Hamas that terrorised Israeli civilians". "Those abhorrent attacks can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," he added. Egypt, historically a key mediator between Hamas and Israel, has urged "restraint" and the relaunch of the long-frozen peace process. But diplomatic efforts to end the violence have made little headway, without the participation of Israel and its enemy Iran, a supporter of Hamas and other armed groups. 'Sliver of hope' A full-blown Israeli ground offensive carries many risks, including to the hostages Hamas took and whose fate is shrouded in uncertainty. So the release of two Americans among the hostages -- mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan -- offered a rare "sliver of hope", said Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. US President Joe Biden thanked Qatar, which hosts Hamas's political bureau, for its mediation in securing the release. He said he was working "around the clock" to win the return of other Americans being held. Natalie Raanan's half-brother Ben told the BBC he felt an "overwhelming sense of joy" at the release after "the most horrible of ordeals". Hamas said Egypt and Qatar had negotiated the release and that it was "working with all mediators to implement the movement's decision to close the civilian (hostage) file if appropriate security conditions allow". Traumatised families with loved ones missing in Gaza demanded more action. "We ask humanity to interfere and bring back all those young boys, young girls, mothers, babies," Assaf Shem Tov, whose nephew was abducted from a music festival where Hamas killed hundreds, said Friday. Devastation Almost half of Gaza's residents have been displaced, and at least 30 percent of all housing in the territory has been destroyed or damaged, the United Nations says. Thousands have taken refuge in a camp set up in the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. Fadwa al-Najjar said she and her seven children walked for 10 hours to reach the camp, at some points breaking into a run as missiles struck around them. "We saw bodies and limbs torn off and we just started praying, thinking we were going to die," she told AFP. In Al-Zahra in central Gaza, Rami Abu Wazna was struggling to take in the destruction wreaked by Israeli missile strikes. "Even in my worst nightmares, I never thought this could be possible," he said. Israel's operation will take not "a day, nor a week, nor a month" and will result in "the end of Israel's responsibilities in the Gaza Strip", Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned on Friday. Regional tensions flare In Gaza, retired general Omar Ashour said the destruction was "part of a clear plan for people to have no place left to live". "This will cause a second Nakba," he added, referring to the 760,000 Palestinians who were expelled from or fled their homes when Israel was created in 1948. The United States has moved two aircraft carriers into the eastern Mediterranean to deter Iran or Lebanon's Hezbollah, both Hamas allies, amid fears of a wider conflagration. Fire across Israel's border with Lebanon continued overnight, with one Israeli soldier killed, Israeli public radio said. The military said it hit Hezbollah targets after rocket and missile fire. Violence has also flared in the West Bank, where 84 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The post First relief convoy enters Gaza devastated by ‘nightmare’ war appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Meta, Google quit tech summit over organizer’s Israel remarks
Meta and Google have pulled out of the Web Summit, one of the tech sector's biggest annual events, after the organizer criticized Israel's actions following the Hamas attacks, the companies said on Friday. A spokesman for Meta confirmed to AFP that it would not take part in this year's event, with Google telling the Irish Independent that it too would not be making the trip to Lisbon. Irish entrepreneur Paddy Cosgrave, co-founder of the Web Summit, wrote on social media platform X last week that he was "shocked at the rhetoric and actions of so many Western leaders & governments." "War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are," Cosgrave wrote on October 13. Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials. Israel says around 1,500 Hamas fighters were killed in clashes before its army regained control of the area under attack. More than 3,700 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in relentless Israeli bombardments in retaliation for the attacks by the Palestinian Islamist militant group, according to the latest toll from the Hamas health ministry in Gaza. The boycott by Meta and Google follows other exits by companies and tech figures, including Intel, Siemens and US comedian Amy Poehler and X-files actor Gillian Anderson. The Web Summit is due to host some 2,300 startups and more than 70,000 people on November 13-16 in Lisbon. Silicon Valley figure Garry Tan, of start-up backer Y-Combinator, initially kicked off the boycott and other big names in the industry quickly followed. Cosgrave issued an apology on Tuesday. "I understand that what I said, the timing of what I said, and the way it has been presented has caused profound hurt to many. To anyone who was hurt by my words, I apologise deeply," he said. "What is needed at this time is compassion, and I did not convey that," the statement said. Cosgrave said he "unreservedly" condemns Hamas's "evil, disgusting and monstrous" attack on Israel and "unequivocally" supports Israel's "right to exist and to defend itself." He also said that Israel should adhere to the Geneva Conventions, "ie, not commit war crimes." The post Meta, Google quit tech summit over organizer’s Israel remarks appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Gazans await ‘life and death’ aid, Israel readies invasion
Thousands of tonnes of "life and death" aid for Gaza should be delivered soon, the United Nations said Friday, to relieve a "beyond catastrophic" situation after unrelenting Israeli bombing in response to an unprecedented Hamas attack. Some 175 lorries stuffed with vital medicines, food, and water stretched into the distance at the Rafah crossing with Egypt, which has removed concrete roadblocks and is scrambling to repair the route into besieged Gaza -- the only one not controlled by Israel. Overseeing operations personally, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters: "These trucks are not just trucks, they are a lifeline, they are the difference between life and death for so many people in Gaza." Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the Islamist militant group launched a shock raid from the Gaza Strip on October 7, killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians shot, mutilated or burned to death, according to Israeli officials. Hamas gunmen also kidnapped some 200 hostages including foreigners from around two dozen countries. The Islamist group said Friday that its armed wing had released two Americans among the captives, a mother and her daughter, the first fruit of mediation efforts by the Gulf state of Qatar. The Islamist group did not detail how or when the hostages were released. The Israeli military said earlier Friday that most of those abducted to Gaza were still alive. It said more than 20 were minors. In response to the Hamas attack, Israeli bombers have levelled entire city blocks in Gaza in preparation for a ground invasion they say is coming soon. The Hamas-run health ministry said 4,137 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have died in the onslaught. Israeli jets pounded more than 100 Hamas targets in Gaza overnight, the army said, with AFP reporters hearing loud explosions and witnessing plumes of smoke billowing from the northern Gaza Strip. Embracing front-line soldiers and clad in body armour, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged them to "fight like lions" and "win with full force". Fists clenched and voice raised, Netanyahu told cheering troops: "We will deal harsh blows to our enemies in order to achieve victory." Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told some of the tens of thousands of personnel preparing the ground invasion that "the order will come soon". 'Beyond catastrophic' US President Joe Biden said Friday he expected the first aid for Gaza to pass through the Rafah crossing from Egypt within the next two days, under a deal he clinched to allow in 20 trucks of supplies for civilians. Medicine, water purifiers and blankets were being unloaded at El Arish airport near Gaza, an AFP reporter saw, with Ahmed Ali, head of the Egyptian Red Crescent, saying he was getting "two to three planes of aid a day". But World Health Organization emergencies director Michael Ryan said Biden's 20-truck deal was "a drop in the ocean of need" and that 2,000 trucks were required. The UN says more than one million of Gaza's 2.4 million people are displaced, with the humanitarian situation "beyond catastrophic" and deteriorating daily. Refugees from northern Gaza told harrowing tales of bombs, profiteering and extreme temperatures as whole families trekked on foot to flee the violence. Mother of seven Fadwa Al-Najjar walked for 10 hours with her family from northern Gaza to reach a UN camp in the southern city of Khan Yunis, saying she saw cars hit by a strike just in front of them. "We saw bodies and limbs torn off and we just started praying, thinking we were going to die," she said. 'It's unimaginable' On the other side of the conflict, the full horror of what Israel suffered on October 7 and following days was still emerging, as traumatised residents recounted their stories. Shachar Butler, a security chief at the Nir Oz kibbutz, where Hamas militants killed or kidnapped a quarter of the 400 residents, recalls more than a dozen gunmen spraying bullets indiscriminately and lobbing grenades at homes. "It's unimaginable," the 40-year-old told AFP as part of a trip organised by the Israeli military. "Anytime someone tried to touch my window, I shot him," he said. "The people who came out got kidnapped, killed, executed, slaughtered." Butler estimated as many as 200 militants attacked the kibbutz, entering from three sides before going house-to-house. Homes there were still charred with burnt personal belongings strewn everywhere. Israel says around 1,500 Hamas fighters were killed in clashes before its army regained control. 'No safe place' Biden requested a massive $105 billion security package Friday, including $14 billion for Israel, but paralysis in the still speakerless Congress means it will hit an immediate wall. Fresh from a whirlwind trip to Israel this week, Biden is hoping to staunch the possibility of a wider Middle East war. The United States has moved two aircraft carriers into the eastern Mediterranean to deter Iran or Lebanon's Hezbollah, both Hamas allies, from getting involved. After days of clashes with Hezbollah fighters along the Lebanese border, Israeli authorities announced the evacuation of Kiryat Shmona, a nearby town which is home to some 25,000 residents, many of whom have already left. The conflict has inflamed passions across the region, with protests held in several countries. Thousands flooded into Egypt's iconic Tahrir Square in support of Gaza, an AFP correspondent said. Protests were also held outside the French and US embassies in Tunis. Following a strike at a church compound late Thursday, the Hamas-controlled interior ministry said several people sheltering at the church were killed and wounded, blaming an Israeli strike. The Israeli army acknowledged a church wall had been damaged in one of its air strikes targeting a "command and control centre belonging to a Hamas terrorist". "This place is dedicated for praying, a place of love and peace," said witness Abu Khalil Jahshan. "There is no safe place here in Gaza." The post Gazans await ‘life and death’ aid, Israel readies invasion appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Medics recount shocking toll of child deaths in Gaza war
Eight sleeping children killed in one strike, doctors fighting but failing to save an unborn child -- such were the stories recounted by Gaza medics on Thursday as Israel stepped up its air strikes. Gaza's Hamas-run government said that children made up 1,524 of the 3,785 people killed since Israel launched a relentless barrage on Gaza in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attacks. Grief-stricken parents carrying the bodies of children in white shrouds through Gaza streets have become a familiar sight since the war started. Doctors say they are fighting a losing battle against a lack of medicines, water and fuel to keep hospitals running. Eight children aged between two and five were among 10 people from the same family killed in an air strike on a house in the city of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza, early on Wednesday, relatives said. "The children were asleep when they destroyed the house," their 67-year-old grandfather, Abu Mohammad Wafi al-Bakri, said. Father escaped Diyala, Ayman, Hamada, Zaher, Uday, Jamal, Nabil and Acil all came from one extended family and all slept on the ground floor. It took an hour after the raid to find their bodies, rescuers said. "None of my children were linked to Palestinian organisations and no men were in the house at the time," said Jihad al-Bakri, father of three of the children. He had left his home an hour before the missile hit to try to find water. At Najjar hospital in Rafah, doctors mourned the unborn child of a woman killed by a missile strike early on Thursday. Arij Marwan al-Banna, seven months pregnant, and her daughters, Sarah and Samya, both aged under 10, were killed on the spot, medical sources told AFP. Banna had fled to her parents' house from northern Gaza after Israel warned its 1.1 million people to head south. Doctors operated but could not save her child. She was posthumously named Fatima and her tiny body bag placed atop that of her mother, doctors said. The Israeli military said on Thursday it had carried out hundreds of air raids in 24 hours, targeting Hamas military infrastructure. Terrified Gaza residents have flocked to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the only possible escape route from the besieged territory, but it has remained closed. Scores of people waited forlornly about 100 metres (yards) from the crossing hoping that it would reopen to let aid in and refugees out. US President Joe Biden announced after visiting Israel on Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to let some food, water and medicines into Gaza. He said some deliveries could be made on Friday. Wary inhabitants kept away from the gates fearing that they would again be a target for Israel's relentless strikes after the crossing was hit four times last week. "I have been waiting for three days with my family in a house 10 minutes away. We are ready with our bags but we just don't know if or when the crossing will open," said Mohammed, a 40-year-old working for an Italian group. Majed, 43, who works for a German organisation, told AFP: "I came on my own this morning. If the crossing opens, I will get my wife and family -- they're ready." He estimated there were about 400 foreigners, dual nationals and employees of international organisations waiting near Rafah. The Hamas government media office said it had no details on aid deliveries. It said the crossing's head of operations, Fuad Abu Btihan, had been killed in the Israeli strikes. Israel intensified its air strikes after Biden flew home and clouds of black smoke again rose over Gaza City. "It's been tough for three nights, but tonight was the hardest," 60-year-old Umm Mohamed Abu Ziada told AFP. The post Medics recount shocking toll of child deaths in Gaza war appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Hundreds dead in Israel-Gaza war as Hezbollah launches attacks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday warned of a "long and difficult" war, as fighting with Hamas left hundreds dead on both sides after a surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group. The conflict's bloodiest escalation in decades saw Hamas carry out a massive rocket barrage and ground, air and sea offensive Saturday that Israel's army said had killed more than 200 Israelis and wounded 1,000, while soldiers and civilians were taken hostage. Gaza officials said intense Israeli air strikes on the coastal enclave had brought the Palestinian death toll to at least 256, with nearly 1,788 wounded. As fighting raged Sunday, Lebanon's powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah movement said it had fired "large numbers of artillery shells and guided missiles" at Israeli positions in a contested border areas "in solidarity" with Hamas. Israel's army had earlier said it fired artillery on southern Lebanon in response to a shot from the area without identifying the attackers. "We are embarking on a long and difficult war that was forced on us by a murderous Hamas attack," Netanyahu said on X, formerly Twitter, early Sunday. "The first stage is ending at this time by the destruction of the vast majority of the enemy forces that infiltrated our territory," he added, pledging no "respite" until victory. Overnight Israel battered the Gaza Strip with air strikes as rockets from the blockaded Palestinians territory rained on Israel. Sunday morning gun still battles raged between Israeli forces and hundreds of Hamas fighters in multiple locations, including at the Sderot police station across the border from Gaza. Police and Israeli army special forces "neutralized 10 armed terrorists" who were holed up inside the station, a police statement said. The bloody air, sea and land attack launched Saturday by Hamas came half a century after the outbreak of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, taking Israel and the world by surprise. As the UN Security Council called an emergency meeting for Sunday, President Joe Biden voiced "rock solid and unwavering" support for the US ally and warned "against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation". - Hostages and 'so many bodies' - The Israeli army said overnight its forces were still engaged in gun battles in a string of Israel locations, in an operation labelled "Swords of Iron", as reservists were being called up. Hamas earlier released images of several Israelis taken captive, and another army spokesman, Daniel Hagari, confirmed that soldiers and civilians had been kidnapped. "I can't give figures about them at the moment," he said late Saturday, adding there was also a "severe hostage situation" in the Negev desert communities of Beeri and Ofakim east of Gaza. According to Ynet Israeli news website "dozens of Israeli captives, including numerous women, children and elders, are believed to have been taken into the Gaza Strip". The fighting prompted Israel to cut off Gaza's electricity, fuel and goods supplies, Netanyahu said. The Islamist group started the multi-pronged attack around 6:30 am (0330 GMT) on Saturday with thousands of rockets aimed as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, some bypassing the Iron Dome defense system and hitting buildings. Hamas fighters -- traveling in ground vehicles, motorized paragliders and boats -- breached Gaza's security barrier and attacked nearby Israeli towns and military posts, opening fire on residents and passersby. "Send help, please!" one Israeli woman sheltering with her two-year-old child pleaded as militants outside opened fire and tried to break into their safe room, Israeli media reported. Bodies were strewn on the streets of the Israeli town of Sderot near Gaza and inside cars, the windscreens shattered by a hail of bullets. "I saw many bodies, of terrorists and civilians," one man told AFP, standing beside covered corpses on a road near Gevim Kibbutz in southern Israel. "So many bodies, so many bodies." AFP journalists witnessed Palestinian armed men gather around a burning Israeli tank, and others driving a seized Israeli military Humvee vehicle back into Gaza, where they were met by cheering crowds. - 'Gates of hell' - Israeli army Major General Ghasan Alyan warned Hamas had "opened the gates of hell". An AFP journalist in Gaza saw clouds of dust from the remains of bombed residential towers which Gaza's interior ministry said contained 100 apartments. Israel's military said it had warned residents to evacuate before targeting the multi-story buildings used by Hamas. The escalation follows months of rising violence, mostly in the occupied West Bank, and tensions around Gaza's border and at contested holy sites in Jerusalem. Before Saturday, at least 247 Palestinians, 32 Israelis and two foreigners had been killed this year, including combatants and civilians, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials. Hamas labeled its attack "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" and called on "resistance fighters in the West Bank" as well as in "Arab and Islamic nations" to join the battle. Its armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, claimed to have fired more than 5,000 rockets, while Hecht said Israel had counted more than 3,000 incoming rockets. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said the group was on the "verge of a great victory", vowing to press ahead with "the battle to liberate our land and our prisoners languishing in occupation prisons must be completed". - 'Dangerous precipice' - Air raid sirens wailed across southern and central Israel, as well as in Jerusalem on Saturday, and there were major disruptions at Tel Aviv airport where many carriers canceled flights. Israel said schools would remain closed on Sunday which marks the start of the week. Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, leading to Israel's crippling blockade of the impoverished enclave of 2.3 million people. Israel and Hamas have since fought several wars. The last major military exchange, in May, killed 34 Palestinians and one Israeli. Violence also erupted across the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem, with five Palestinians killed and 120 wounded in clashes with Israeli forces and settlers, Palestinian medical services said. Countries around the world condemned the wave of attacks by Hamas, which Israel, the United States and European Union consider a terrorist group. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the attack "terrorism in its most despicable form". But Hamas drew support from other foes of Israel, with Iran's supreme leader declaring he was "proud". UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland warned of "a dangerous precipice" and called on all sides to "pull back from the brink". (Rosie Scammell with Adel Zaanoun in Gaza) az-rsc-jd/hkb © Agence France-Presse The post Hundreds dead in Israel-Gaza war as Hezbollah launches attacks appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Israel says at ‘war’ after rocket barrages, militant infiltration
Palestinian militants have begun a "war" against Israel, the country's defense minister said Saturday after a barrage of rockets were fired and fighters from the Palestinian enclave infiltrated Israel, a major escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Violence between Israel and the Palestinians has been surging for almost two years, with fatalities in the occupied West Bank hitting a scale not seen in years. At least two people were killed in Israel, officials said. Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Palestinian militant group Hamas has "launched a war against the State of Israel." "Troops are fighting against the enemy at every location," he said in a statement. AFP journalists said Israel's military began air strikes on Gaza, following the rocket barrage from inside the territory which is sealed off from Israel by a militarized border barrier. "Dozens of IDF fighter jets are currently striking a number of targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip," the military said. Rockets had earlier streamed across the sky repeatedly after the first launches from multiple locations across the Palestinian territory from 6:30 am (0330 GMT), AFP journalists in Gaza City reported. The armed wing of Hamas, which controls Gaza, said it was behind the aerial assault, saying its militants had launched thousands of rockets and its fighters seized an Israeli tank. Israel's army did not immediately comment on the tank claim when contacted by AFP. Israeli security chiefs convened over the violence, which occurred on Shabbat and during a Jewish holiday. Air raid sirens wailed across southern and central Israel, and the army urged people to stay near bomb shelters. AFP journalists in Jerusalem heard multiple rockets being intercepted by Israeli air defense systems. Sirens blared across the city on more occasions than in any Gaza conflict in the past three years. "We decided to put an end to all the crimes of the occupation (Israel). Their time for rampaging without being held accountable is over," the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said. "We announce Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and we fired, in the first strike of 20 minutes, more than 5,000 rockets." Hundreds of Gazans flee Hundreds of residents fled their homes in eastern Gaza to move away from the border with Israel, an AFP correspondent said. Men, women and children carrying blankets and food left their homes, mostly in the northeastern part of the territory, the reporter said. Israel's military said Hamas launched "massive shooting of rockets", while at the same time "terrorists infiltrated into Israeli territory in a number of different locations". Hamas "will face the consequences and responsibility for these events", it said in a statement. In Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, some Palestinian residents cheered and blew their car horns as sirens blared. A regional council for Israeli communities northeast of Gaza said its president was killed in an exchange of fire with attackers from Gaza. Separately, a woman in her 60s was killed "due to a direct hit" in Israel, the Magen David Adom emergency services said. Fifteen others were wounded, two of them seriously, medics said. An AFP photographer in the coastal city of Tel Aviv saw a gaping hole in a building, with residents gathered outside. Hamas calls to 'join battle' Hamas called on "the resistance fighters in the West Bank" as well as "our Arab and Islamic nations" to join the battle, in a statement posted on Telegram. The United States condemned the Hamas fire and urged "all sides to refrain from violence and retaliatory attacks." "Terror and violence solve nothing," the US Office of Palestinian Affairs wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza since 2007 after Hamas took power. Palestinian militants and Israel have fought several devastating wars since. The latest violence follows heightened tensions in September, when Israel closed the border to Gazan workers for two weeks. The shutdown of the crossing came as Palestinian demonstrators along the border burned tires and threw rocks and petrol bombs at Israeli troops, who responded with tear gas and live bullets. Resuming workers' passage on 28 September had raised hopes of calming the situation in impoverished Gaza, home to 2.3 million people. In May, an exchange of Israeli air strikes and Gaza rocket fire killed 34 Palestinians and one Israeli. So far this year at least 247 Palestinians, 32 Israelis and two foreigners have been killed in the conflict, including combatants and civilians on both sides, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials. The vast majority of fatalities have occurred in the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. There has been a rise in army raids, Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis and Israeli settler violence against Palestinians and their property. The rising violence this year came against the backdrop of divisive judicial reforms introduced by the hard-right government of President Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges he denies. Several far-right ministers in Netanyahu's cabinet live in West Bank settlements deemed illegal under international law. The post Israel says at ‘war’ after rocket barrages, militant infiltration appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Marawi City siege victims seek P17.4B
People adversely affected by the 2017 Marawi siege have filed a total of P17,456,836,830 in claims from 4 July to 31 August this year, the Marawi Compensation Board told lawmakers on Monday. But the board said the 4,762 claimants represented only 19 percent of the estimated 23,489 individuals directly affected by the five-month armed conflict between government forces and the combined Maute and Abu Sayyaf terror groups. The siege ended on 23 October 2017 with the surrender or killing of the remaining militants. The conflict left over 1,100 people dead, including 44 government troopers. It displaced over 350,000 people. MCB chairperson Maisara Dandamun Latiph told a hearing of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act of 2022 that the claimants included those whose properties were destroyed in the fighting. Other claimants had relatives who were killed or who were wounded during the siege which prompted then President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in Mindanao, Latiph said. “These (figures) are based on verified application claim forms that were filed under oath,” she said, adding that the filing was just the first step in a process that includes multi-layered evaluation by lawyers and engineers. So far, only 220 applications had been assessed, while 120 claims totaling P395 million had been processed, the MCB official said. Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said the MCB needs at least P89 billion to compensate all the war victims. The government initially allocated only P1 billion for compensation under Republic Act 11696, or the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Law. The law tasked MCB to oversee the process of application and payment of compensation to qualified claimants. Compensation rates are based on the implementing rules and regulations of RA 11696. Under the guidelines, a damaged structure would be compensated P12,000 per square meter if it was made of concrete, P9,000 per sqm if made of wood and concrete, and P6,000 if made of light materials. 5-year process Owners of destroyed properties are to be paid P18,000 per sqm. (concrete), P13,500 (concrete and wood), and P9,000 for those made of light materials, mainly wood. Compensation of P350,000 will be paid to the kin or heirs of each victim who died in the siege. Latiph said the board eyes to complete the compensation process within five years. She said they are targeting to accommodate 200 claims daily, 150 recommendations a week, and 600 decisions a month. Data from Task Force Bangon Marawi showed there were more than 17,000 households in the 24 barangays in Marawi City that were most affected by the conflict. The Marawi siege was the deadliest conflict in the Philippines since the Moro rebellion in the 1970s. It was also the first time that the Islamic State was able to establish a stronghold in Southeast Asia. The post Marawi City siege victims seek P17.4B appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Handwritten letters a lifeline in war-devastated Darfur
With no cell service or phone calls, people in Sudan's war-ravaged western region of Darfur are resorting to a bygone means of communication: handwritten letters, carried by taxi drivers. Ahmed Issa, 25, sits on a plastic chair in a roadside cafe, penning a message to relatives he left behind in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state. In the safety of El Daein, 150 kilometers (93 miles) southeast, he told AFP the letters are often the only way to get news in and out of his hometown, the second-biggest city in Sudan and the site of brutal battles between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. "Even at the start of the fighting, it was hard to get in touch with people in other neighborhoods inside Nyala," he said, nearly five months after the war began. The situation has only grown worse since, with horrific violence reported across Darfur, a region the size of France that is home to around a quarter of Sudan's 48 million people. They remember all too painfully the years-long war and atrocities that began in 2003. Hundreds of thousands were killed and more than two million displaced after the government of Omar al-Bashir unleashed the Janjaweed militia in response to a rebel uprising. Hunched forward in a black patterned shirt and a neat crew cut, Issa carefully folds his letter over and over. "You wait a week for the letter to arrive, and you don't know for sure if they'll get it," he told AFP. "And if they do, there's no guarantee they can send one back" through the treacherous roads in and out of Nyala. Three months ago, the West Darfur state capital of El Geneina seemed to be the nucleus of the fighting, becoming a symbol of the return of ethnic violence in Darfur. Western countries and the UN linked the violence to the RSF and its allies. It triggered the International Criminal Court to open a new investigation into alleged war crimes. Now Nyala is the centre of clashes between the army and the RSF. On one day last week 39 civilians, most of them women and children, were killed when shelling hit their homes in Nyala, medics and witnesses said. Over 10 days in August, more than 50,000 people fled Nyala's violence, according to the United Nations. Water and electricity networks quickly failed, compounding threats in a city where one in four people already needed humanitarian aid before the war, the UN said. The messenger Residents on Sunday looked up to see a new escalation of the violence: Air Force fighter jets -- whose strikes have been largely limited to the capital Khartoum -- were flying overhead. Their bombs struck both RSF bases and the residential neighborhoods they inhabit, witnesses told AFP. People will do anything to make sure their loved ones are alright, according to human rights defender Ahmed Gouja, who left Nyala but is trying to inform the world of the gruesome violence unfolding. Last week, he reported on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X, that five entire families were "killed in one day". He himself spent 16 days "with no info" about his family in Nyala, before finally reaching "one of my brothers who arrived at El Daein, searching for an internet signal". "We die every moment that passes while we are deprived" of news of loved ones, he wrote. For weeks, Suleiman Mofaddal has seen families like Gouja's walk through his El Daein office, a small room with yellow walls, anxious for news of those who cannot or refuse to leave their homes in Nyala. On his desk sits a pile of small, neatly folded paper rectangles, each with a name scrawled in blue ink. Some have a phone number, just in case the recipient gets cell service for even a moment. All wait to be handed to drivers on Mofaddal's team, who will carry the letters on their way to Nyala. "Most often, the recipient immediately writes a response and hands it back to the driver before he leaves," Mofaddal told AFP. Then the driver heads back out, hoping the road ahead won't be closed -- by either the bombs, militia checkpoints, or the downpours of Sudan's rainy season. The post Handwritten letters a lifeline in war-devastated Darfur appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Teves,12 others tagged terrorists
The Anti-Terrorism Council or ATC has designated Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. as a terrorist for allegedly masterminding the assassination of Gov. Roel Degamo last 4 March, which also resulted in the deaths of nine others. The ATC named the congressman, who had gone into hiding, as the leader of the Teves Terrorist Group, which allegedly included as members his younger brother, Pryde Henry Teves, and purported bagman Marvin Miranda. Pryde was unseated by the Commission on Elections after a recount of the votes cast in the 2022 Negros Oriental gubernatorial election showed that Degamo had won. Degamo was killed in a commando-style attack at his residential compound in Pamplona town. The slain governor’s wife, Janice, is the mayor of Pamplona. The assault happened just weeks after the Supreme Court upheld the Comelec’s proclamation of Degamo as governor. Also tagged as terrorists were Nigel Electona, Tomasino Aledro, Rogelio Antipolo, Hannah Mae Oray, Rommel Pattaguan, Winrich Isturis, John Louie Gonyon, Dahniel Lora, Eulogio Gonyon Jr. and Jomarie Catubay. In a three-page resolution dated 26 July and signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin that was released yesterday, the ATC said Pryde and Electona “provided material support” to Teves in furtherance of his alleged terrorist activities. “Investigation also revealed that Hannah Mae Sumero Oray handled the operational funds for the killings while Marvin H. Miranda acted as organizer and recruiter of personnel for specific terrorist attacks,” the ATC said. In April, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla revealed the government’s intention to designate Teves as a terrorist, saying that his group’s alleged “activities that led to the killings are all covered by the Anti-Terror Law, [including] the recruitment, financing, purchase of firearms, and their distribution.” In hiding Teves has refused to come home after being located last in Timor-Leste, claiming his life was in danger. There was talk he was already in the Philippines under the protection of a former high government official. The House of Representatives had twice suspended Teves for refusing to heed Speaker Martin Romualdez’s plea to come home to face the charges against him. The Philippine National Police had filed a separate complaint against Teves before the Department of Justice last March over the alleged political killing of three other persons in Negros Oriental in 2019. A Degamo lawyer said the Teveses could be linked to as many as 60 killings in Negros Oriental. In reaction, Pryde said in a radio interview that his lawyers would appeal the ATC resolution. He expressed dismay that his right to travel and earn a livelihood would be affected by the order. Saying he would not leave Negros Oriental despite the tagging, the younger Teves said he would be the last to resort to terrorism because he had been a victim of violence. Meanwhile, Ferdinand Topacio, a lawyer of Congressman Teves, lambasted the ATC whose order, he said, demonstrated the government’s prejudgment of the case and “desperation” to take his client into custody. “Since day one of the Degamo killing, the government has mobilized all the resources at its disposal, starting with immediately tagging Teves as the mastermind thereof without investigation, conducting illegal searches on his properties, laying siege to his powers and prerogatives as a member of the House, embarking on a massive media campaign to discredit him and prejudice the minds of the public against him, among other things, all in an obsessive attempt to blame him for a crime at the expense of his constitutional rights,” Topacio said. Topacio questioned why the government had to use the ATC against Teves, in a case for which the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020 was not “designed.” “The agencies of government, having eggs on their faces due to the recantation of all the key witnesses, the lack of evidence against Representative Teves, the public backlash against his obvious persecution, and the embarrassing failure of the authorities to bully him into returning to the country in spite of grave and serious threats to his life has expectedly weaponized the Anti-Terror Act by using it for the purpose for which it was not designed,” he said. When it was first floated that Teves would be tagged as a terrorist, he posted a video of himself wearing Muslim garb and laughing. The post Teves,12 others tagged terrorists appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Islamic State claims responsibility for Pakistan blast that killed 54
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Monday for a suicide bomb blast in Pakistan that killed at least 54 people, including 23 children, at a political party gathering ahead of elections due later this year. The blast has raised fears Pakistan could be in for a bloody election period following months of political chaos prompted by the ousting of Imran Khan as prime minister in April last year. Around 400 members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) party -- a key government coalition partner led by a firebrand cleric -- were waiting Sunday for speeches to begin when a bomber detonated a vest packed with explosives and ball bearings near the front stage. "I was confronted with a devastating sight -- lifeless bodies scattered on the ground while people cried out for help," Fazal Aman, who was near the tent when the bomb went off, told AFP. Shaukat Abbas, a senior official with the counter-terrorism department (CTD) told AFP that 54 people had been killed, including 23 under the age of 18. On Monday the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. "A suicide attacker from the Islamic State... detonated his explosive jacket in the middle of a crowd" in Khar, the jihadist group's news arm Amaq said in a statement Monday. The attack occurred in the town of Khar in the northwestern Bajaur district, just 45 kilometers from the Afghan border, in an area where militancy has been rising since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021. Parliament is likely to be dissolved after it completes its term in the next two weeks, with national elections to be held by mid-November or earlier. The local chapter of the jihadist Islamic State group has in the past targeted JUI-F rallies and leaders. Shattered family On Monday, blood-stained shoes and prayer caps littered the site, along with ball bearings and steel bolts from the suicide vest. Pieces of human flesh could still be seen, blasted 30 meters (100 feet) from the stage where the bomber detonated his device. Thousands of mourners attended the first funeral ceremonies, including for two young cousins aged 16 and 17. "It was not easy for us to lift two coffins. This tragedy has shattered our family," said Najib Ullah, the brother of one of the boys. "Our women are profoundly shocked and devastated. When I see the mothers of the victims, I find myself losing my own courage." JUI-F's leader, cleric Fazl-ur-Rehman, started political life as a firebrand Islamist hardliner, and while his party continues to advocate for socially conservative policies, he has more recently forged alliances with secular rivals. He has operated in the past as a facilitator for talks between the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a rival of the jihadist Islamic State group. Last year, IS said it was behind attacks against religious scholars affiliated with JUI-F, which has a huge network of mosques and schools in the north and west of the country. The jihadist group accuses the JUI-F of hypocrisy for being a religious party while supporting secular governments and the military. JUI-F officials hit out at the government for failing to provide security in areas where militants operate. "The state has not fulfilled its responsibilities. I think the state has failed regardless of who is in power," said Shams uz Zaman, deputy general secretary of its Bajaur branch. "For God's sake take notice of the situation." While Rehman's party never musters more than a dozen or so seats in parliament, they can be crucial in any coalition and his ability to mobilize tens of thousands of religious school students allows him to punch above his weight. "It is important to consider why workers of a religious inclined political party could have been subjected to such bestial violence," Dawn newspaper said in an editorial Monday. "However ultra-conservative the JUI-F's worldview, the party has chosen to contest power and operate within the parameters set by the Constitution of Pakistan." A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell said the blast was "an attempt to weaken democracy". Rise in attacks Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks since the Afghan Taliban surged back to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. In January, a suicide bomber linked to Pakistan's Taliban blew himself up in a mosque inside a police compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing more than 80 officers. The militant assaults have been focused in regions abutting Afghanistan, and Islamabad alleges some are being planned on Afghan soil -- a charge Kabul denies. Analysts say militants in the former tribal areas have become emboldened since the return of the Afghan Taliban. The blast coincides with a visit to the country by a senior delegation of Chinese officials, including Vice Premier He Lifeng, who arrived in the capital Sunday evening. The post Islamic State claims responsibility for Pakistan blast that killed 54 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Vigilance is key’: Al Shabaab threat rising in Kenya’s northeast
In Kenya's rural northeast, roadside bombs and beheadings that killed two dozen people last month appear to be part of a troubling escalation of violence by Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists, analysts say. A regional economic powerhouse and a popular tourist draw, Kenya has not suffered a high-profile jihadist attack since 2019, when 21 people lost their lives at a hotel and surrounding offices in Nairobi. The recent attacks have been small-scale and focused on minor targets, but have raised fears that Al-Shabaab jihadists, who have been blamed for the assaults, are turning their attention to Kenya as they suffer losses in their native Somalia. Estimated to have between 7,000 and 12,000 fighters, Al-Shabaab has in recent months faced a multi-pronged counterterrorism offensive by the Somali National Army and US-trained "lightning" commandos supported by clan militias known as "macawisley". The militants, who have waged war against the fragile government in Mogadishu for over 15 years, have recently carried out several attacks along Kenya's long and porous frontier with Somalia. Twenty-four people, including 15 security officers, were killed in six separate attacks last month alone. In one of the most grisly assaults claimed by the group, about 30 militants descended on two sparsely-populated villages in Kenya's coastal Lamu county on June 24 and killed five civilians, beheading some of them. One resident, Hassan Abdul, said that "women were locked in the houses and the men ordered out, where they were tied with ropes and butchered". The remote forested mainland is not normally a stopover for tourists visiting the nearby popular Indian Ocean island of Lamu, but the gruesome killings are a signal to Kenya, analysts say. The attacks are a way for "Al-Shabaab to say that despite being under pressure, they still have the firepower and are a force to be reckoned with," said Nicolas Delaunay, International Crisis Group director for East and Southern Africa. "It could also be a way of warning Kenya who has pledged to participate in the Somali government's offensive against the Al-Shabaab," he told AFP. Risk of regional spillover Kenya is no stranger to the long-running Islamist insurgency in Somalia and has been repeatedly targeted by Al-Shabaab since it sent troops into the country in 2011 as part of an African Union force. The militants appear to have been emboldened by the changes in Kenya's security leadership following the election of President William Ruto last August, said Roland Marchal, an Africa specialist at Sciences Po university in Paris. "There is relative disorganisation at the border," Marchal said, adding that Al-Shabaab was seizing the chance to take "revenge" against Kenya for deploying troops in rural central and southern Somalia where the militants remain entrenched. The violence has also threatened to spill into Ethiopia, as the militants try to make their presence felt in Africa's second most populous country. Addis Ababa said last month that it had foiled an attack by the jihadists in the border town of Dollo. Al-Shabaab fighters were chased out of Mogadishu in 2011 by an African Union mission which has been in Somalia since 2007. The militants have also lost some ground in the countryside after Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud last year launched an "all-out war" against the group, describing the jihadists as "bedbugs". But while the gains of the Somali offensive have been significant, the "situation still remains very fragile," African Union Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat warned last weekend. Hassan Khannenje, director of The Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies in Nairobi, told AFP that Al-Shabaab was "on the back foot in Somalia". "There is a desire on their part to demonstrate continued relevance and resilience." 'Manifestation of desperation' A US official last month told AFP the recent cross-border attacks by Al-Shabaab were a "manifestation of desperation". But Kenya is taking no chances. A string of major attacks on the Westgate shopping centre in 2013, Garissa University two years later, and the Dusit hotel complex in 2019 left hundreds of Kenyans and foreigners dead. The East African nation earlier this month said it was delaying the planned reopening of its long-closed border with Somalia over the deadly attacks. The phased reopening would not go ahead as announced "until we conclusively deal with the recent spate of terror attacks and cross-border crime," Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said. Analyst Khannenje said the wave of attacks "should serve as a warning" to Kenya. The post ‘Vigilance is key’: Al Shabaab threat rising in Kenya’s northeast appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»