CrossFireArabia
A baby girl was born in northern Gaza Friday night, becoming the sole survivor of her family. Just 10 hours after her birth, her entire family was killed in an airstrike by the Israeli occupation forces in the area.
CrossFireArabia
France, Italy, and Spain have strongly condemned recent Israeli attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, labeling them “unjustifiable” and in violation of international law. This follows two consecutive explosions near the Lebanese-Palestinian border, which injured several members of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The attacks have sparked concern over the increasing risks to UN personnel as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalate.
In a joint statement, the three European nations expressed outrage, demanding an immediate halt to the violence. “These attacks constitute a serious violation of Israel’s obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and international humanitarian law,” the statement read. The nations also called for increased protection for peacekeepers and urged both sides to de-escalate the situation according to the Quds News Network.
France, which contributes around 700 troops to UNIFIL, has been particularly vocal in its criticism. French President Emmanuel Macron summoned Israel’s envoy and demanded an explanation, emphasizing that the targeting of UN peacekeepers is “absolutely unacceptable.” Macron further proposed halting arms exports to Israel as a means to curb the violence, suggesting that stopping the flow of weapons could help prevent further escalation.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez echoed Macron’s call, urging the international community to cease selling arms to Israel. Following a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Sanchez stated, “It is urgent that we stop contributing to the violence by supplying weapons to Israel.” Sanchez has been one of the most outspoken European leaders against Israel’s recent military offensives, which he described as an “invasion” of Lebanon.
Both Macron and Sanchez’s remarks have drawn sharp criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who defended Israel’s military actions as necessary for self-defense. As the conflict intensifies, international leaders are increasingly pressing for diplomatic solutions to prevent further casualties.
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The Nicaraguan government stated it is cutting off diplomatic ties with Israel because of the “brutal genocide its fascist and war criminal government continues to commit against the Palestinian people.”
The Nicaraguan government said in a statement, Friday, the severing of relations was due to the continued Israeli attacks on Palestinian territories, noting that the conflict “is now also extending to Lebanon, and is seriously threatening Syria, Yemen, and Iran.”
Israel has been publicly criticized by the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega for its war now going on for more than a year in the Gaza Strip.
“Our president has asked the foreign ministry to proceed with severing diplomatic relations with the fascist and criminal government of Israel,” Vice President Rosario Murillo and his wife told state media, adding it is “committing genocide.”
The decision is primarily symbolic and political, as relations between the two countries are almost non-existent, and Israel does not have an ambassador in Managua.
On 28 March, 2017, Nicaragua and Israel restored diplomatic relations, which Ortega severed in 2010.
CrossFireArabia
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that “the death toll from the Israeli aggression has risen to 42,126 martyrs and 98,117 injuries since 7 October, 2023.
The ministry said in a press statement received by Quds Press Friday: “The Israeli occupation committed four massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, 61 martyrs and 231 injuries arrived at hospitals during the past 24 hours.”
It confirmed that “a number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them.”
It called on the families of martyrs and missing persons from the aggression on Gaza to complete their data by registering on its website, to complete all data through its records.
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Lebanon’s densely populated capital Beirut is increasingly being targeted by Israeli airstrikes, hundreds have been killed, and over a million people have fled their homes throughout the country, with the situation for civilians on the ground in Lebanon, Gaza, Israel, and Syria worsening daily, the United Nations said on Friday.
“Just last night, Beirut was bombed again, in the heaviest strike yet on the central part of the city. At least 22 people were killed, and over 100 injured, according to the Ministry of Public Health,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights office, at a press conference in Geneva.
“Hezbollah and other armed groups continue to fire rockets into Israel, resulting in the first civilian fatalities in the north since the most recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon last month.”
WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier, who attended the press conference with Shamdasani, said, “Since the 8th of October, 34 attacks on health (workers and facilities) have been verified by the WHO in Lebanon, resulting in 94 deaths and 74 injuries alone.”
Separately, the Israeli mission to the UN in Geneva released a statement, saying, “Israel firmly rejects the outrageous accusations laid down in the latest report of the ‘infamous’ Pillay Commission of Inquiry,” referring to the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
“This latest report is another blatant attempt by the commission to delegitimize the very existence of the State of Israel and obstruct its right to protect its population while covering up the crimes of terrorist organizations who not only seek Israel’s destruction – but have openly demonstrated these intentions for the world to see.”
Shamdasani, meanwhile, cited the UN Human Rights chief as reminding “all parties of their obligation” to adhere to international humanitarian law or war rules concerning the protection of civilians, civilian objects, and infrastructure.
‘Prompt investigation’
Any alleged violations must be subjected to a prompt and thorough investigation, Shamdasani said, adding that those responsible where violations are found to have taken place must be held accountable.
“The Lebanese people are bearing the brunt of this latest phase of conflict. The Ministry of Public Health says almost 400 children and women are among over 2,000 people killed since October 2023.
“There are recurring reports of essential civilian infrastructure having been struck, including hospitals, clinics, ambulances, and schools – along with destruction of housing. In all, over 100 medical and emergency workers have been killed across Lebanon since October last year,” said the UN spokesperson.
Many of those displaced have fled to Syria.
From Sept. 23 to Oct. 9, the UN has reported that over 310,000 Syrians and nearly 110,000 Lebanese citizens have crossed the border.
On Oct 9 and 10, Hezbollah said it had launched at least 360 missiles from southern Lebanon into Israel.
Two people were killed in a rocket attack on the border town of Kiryat Shmona on Oct. 9, a day after five others were injured in a rocket attack on Haifa.
“Amidst this escalating violence, we are appalled by sweeping inflammatory language on multiple sides,” said Shandasani according to the Anadolu news agency.
According to her, the Israeli government’s “Recent language threatening Lebanese people as a whole and calling on them to either rise against Hezbollah or face destruction like Gaza risks being understood as encouraging or accepting violence directed against civilians and civilian objects, in violation of international law.”
She said the ongoing UN denigration, particularly UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency), is “unacceptable.”
