News Archives - Page 8 of 370

Israel Sets Back Gaza 77 Years – UN Reports

CrossFireArabia
April 21, 2026

The UN and European Union issued a joint warning on Monday that human development across Gaza has been set back by a staggering 77 years, with $71.4 billion needed over the next decade for recovery and reconstruction.

That’s according to the final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), jointly conducted with the UN-partnered World Bank.

The assessment says $26.3 billion will be needed in the first 18 months to restore essential services, rebuild critical infrastructure and support economic recovery.

Since full-scale war erupted in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel in October 2023, the physical damage in the Strip is estimated at $35.2 billion, with a further $22.7 billion in economic and social losses.

Entire sectors have been devastated, including housing, health, education, commerce, and agriculture.

Over 371,888 housing units have been destroyed or damaged, more than 50 per cent of hospitals are non-functional, and nearly all schools have been destroyed or damaged. The economy has contracted by 84 per cent.

Devastating human toll

The impact on the lives of Gazans is just as devastating: more than 60 per cent of the population having lost their homes and 1.9 million people displaced, often multiple times. Women, children, persons with disabilities, and those with pre-existing vulnerabilities bear the greatest burden.

Over two years of conflict has resulted in more than 71,000 Palestinian fatalities and over 171,000 injured, according to local authorities, with many still missing under the rubble.

Framework for reconstruction

The report provides the foundation for early recovery planning and reconstruction, stressing it must must run in parallel with humanitarian action to ensure an effective transition from emergency relief toward reconstruction at scale in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

The assessment is framed in line with Security Council adopted resolution 2803 (2025) of the US-backed Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, which welcomed establishment of the Board of Peace led by President Trump as a transitional administration to set the framework for redevelopment and authorised the mechanism to set up a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF).

The EU and UN emphasise that recovery and reconstruction should be Palestinian-led and should support the transition of governance to the Palestinian Authority, while advancing a durable political settlement based on the two-State solution.

Planning and implementation should be inclusive, transparent, and accountable, with particular attention to the needs of women, children, elderly, and persons with disabilities.

Conditions needed

The assessment recognises that a set of enabling conditions are essential for recovery, reconstruction, and implementation of the broader political framework:

A sustained ceasefire and adequate security
Unimpeded humanitarian access and immediate restoration of essential services
Free movement of people, goods, and reconstruction materials, within and between Gaza and the West Bank, and a functional, transparent financial system
Clear, accountable governance, including defined mandates and establishment of conditions for the transitional administrative bodies in coordination with the Palestinian Authority (PA)
A credible pathway for the PA’s future governance across the entire Occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is essential
Debris clearance, explosive ordnance management, and resolution of housing, land, and property rights are prerequisites for reconstruction.
The international community must mobilise resources in a targeted, sequenced, coordinated manner
All obstacles to the deployment of expertise and equipment must be removed rapidly

UN News

News

Health Crisis: 18,000 Await to Leave Gaza

CrossFireArabia
April 19, 2026

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society stated, Sunday, that only 700 patients were able to depart the Gaza Strip, to receive outside health care as of last 2 February, 2026 when the Rafah Crossing was partially opened.

The PRCS added that more than 18,000 patients and those that are injured are still waiting for permission to leave for medical reasons, amidst tight Israeli restrictions.

Raed Al Nims, PRCS spokesman told “Sawt Falestine” the current pace of evacuation is “very slow and does not match the growing needs,” whilst warning that the health crisis in the sector is worsening.

He added about 700 patients left the Gaza Strip for treatment, while more than 18,000 wounded and sick individuals are awaiting urgent medical care.

Al-Nims explained thousands of critical cases are at risk of death due to the lack of medical resources, adding: “Lives are at stake, and some patients have already died while waiting on long waiting lists due to the absence of life-saving medical services.”

He clarified that patient selection is based on medical criteria that takes into account the severity of their condition, but procedures related to security approvals delay their departure, exacerbating their health problems.

This comes amidst Israel’s control over the Gaza Strip crossings, including the Rafah crossing on the Palestinian side, while it continues to occupy more than 50 percent of the Strip’s area. This further restricts the movement of patients and limits their access to treatment outside Gaza.

Al-Nims called on the international community to intervene urgently to ensure the permanent opening of the crossings and to keep medical cases separate from any political or security considerations, while also stressing the need to provide safe and sustainable corridors for medical evacuations.

Since the reopening of the Rafah Crossing, Palestinians returning to Gaza have reported as being subjected to Israeli mistreatment, including detention and harsh interrogations lasting for hours, before being allowed to continue their journey into the Strip.

Before the war, hundreds of Palestinians left Gaza daily through the crossing, and hundreds more returned to the Strip in a normal flow of traffic. The crossing’s operations were managed by the Gaza Interior Ministry and the Egyptian authorities, without Israeli interference.

With American support, Israel launched a two-year war of genocide against Gaza on October 8, 2013, leaving more than 72,000 Palestinians dead and over 172,000 wounded, most of them children and women, and destroying 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure.

Despite the ceasefire agreement in effect since October 10, Israel continues its campaign of genocide through a persistent siege and daily bombardments, resulting in the deaths of 773 Palestinians and injuries to 2,171 others, mostly children and women, in addition to widespread material destruction. Israel is also preventing the entry of agreed-upon quantities of food, medicine, medical supplies, shelter materials, and prefabricated homes into Gaza, where some 2.4 million Palestinians, including 1.5 million displaced people, live in catastrophic conditions. Anadolu

News

Iranian Missiles Destroy 1000 Flats in Tel Aviv

CrossFireArabia
April 19, 2026

CROSSFIREARABIA – Mayor of Tel Aviv Ron Huldai, said Sunday, that 1000 apartments in the Greater Tel Aviv areas, which covers around 1500 kilometers have been left uninhabitable because of the recent US-Israel war on Iran.

His statement is reverberating in the Hebrew media, being picked up internationally, and repeated on the social media.

“More than 1000 apartments in Tel Aviv are no longer fit for living,” he told the Israeli Channel 12.

The destruction is caused by the 39-day war that resulted in Iranian missiles and debris falling on different parts of the sprawling city.

This war, started through a US-Israeli alliance on Iran on 28 February, was precedented in its destruction across the Middle East region with Lebanon, the Gulf and Israel, as well as Iran itself taking a major battering.

Israel has been particularly hit on a daily basis through ballistic missiles, ordinary missiles and drones with Tel Aviv and its surrounding cities like Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak at the receiving end of theses projectiles.

Some of these missiles weighed up to one and two tons, similar to those Israel used on the people of Gaza, in its two-year genocide starting soon after 7 October, 2023.

Iran fired 650 missiles on Israel according to the Times of Israel. Sources say many, 92 percent of these were intercepted. However, 77 missiles landed on different parts of Israel.

But the extent of the damage increases when it is realized that the debris from those that were intercepted represent significant fall down on different Israeli towns, cities, military bases and infrastructure.

For Israel this war came at a great cost. The Israeli Ministry of Finance estimates that the war on Iran and Lebanon has cost its treasury $17.5 billion. Added to this, and that is yet to be included, is the cost of the destruction, like the 1000 apartments and other destroyed infrastructure.

Israeli media sources report that 30,000 Israelis have filed for compensation from the Israeli Tax Authority because of direct damages to their apartments and buildings, machinery and cars. The filing for the latter stood 6617.

The amount of compensation is aggregated to stand at $2.2 billion, a far higher figure than June 12-day war in 2025 were insurance companies forked out $1 billion in compensation.

Marwan Asmar is a writer from Amman and blogs for crossfirearabia.com

News

350 Palestinian Kids Held in Israeli Jails

CrossFireArabia
April 16, 2026

The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced, Thursday, about 350 Palestinian children are currently held in Israeli jails.

This statement was made in a statement by the ministry on the eve of Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, which falls on 17 April of every year.

The ministry stated the arrest of students and their denial of their right to education constitutes a systematic policy pursued by Israel, which continues to target them.

The ministry affirmed that the issue of prisoners “will remain present in the conscience of the Palestinian people and at the heart of the educational mission, especially with the continued targeting of students.”

It explained approximately 350 children are being held in Israeli prisons under “harsh conditions that violate international laws and conventions,” and are subjected to policies including nighttime arrests, harsh interrogations, solitary confinement, denial of education, medical neglect, and ill-treatment.

It added that based on documented testimonies, a number of children were arrested from their homes at night, handcuffed and blindfolded, while others were prevented from continuing their education and detained in conditions lacking the most basic necessities.

These practices are a “flagrant violation” of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and that the targeting of students are not isolated incident, but part of a policy to undermine their awareness and future.

Ministry officials stress the arrest of students constitutes a “direct attack” on Palestinian education system and an attempt to sabotage the future of generations, affirming their continued support for imprisoned students and commitment to strengthening their resilience.

Further, they called on international and human rights organizations to assume their responsibilities and work to stop the violations, demanding the immediate release of all prisoners, especially children and school students, and ensuring their safe return to their studies.

The Ministry affirmed that education will remain a “tool for survival and development” despite the challenges.

Palestinians commemorate “Prisoners’ Day” every year with events and marches in solidarity with prisoners in Israeli jails. This day was designated by the Palestinian National Council in 1974.

More than 9,600 Palestinians are currently imprisoned in Israel, including 350 children and 73 women. They suffer torture, starvation, and medical neglect, which has led to the deaths of dozens, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations. Anadolu

News

MSF: ‘Health in Gaza Catastrophic’

CrossFireArabia
April 16, 2026

An official with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said about 60 percent of the cases treated at the organization’s facilities in the Gaza Strip over the past six months were direct injuries. She explained that the situation for Palestinians has not changed significantly since the ceasefire signed at the end of last year.

Shaimaa Awda, head of the organization’s mental health support department, described the health situation in the Gaza Strip to Anadolu Agency as “suffocating.”

Despite the ceasefire agreement in Gaza coming into effect on 10 October, 2025, living and health conditions remain dire for the 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza, including for the 1.4 million internally displaced persons.

Israel continues to renege on its commitments under the ceasefire agreement, including opening the crossings and allowing the entry of the agreed-upon quantities of food, relief supplies, medical aid, and shelter materials.

It also continues to commit daily violations of the ceasefire agreement, resulting in the deaths of 765 Palestinians and injuries to 2,140 others, according to a Gaza Ministry of Health statement.

A Dire Health Situation

Awda says that the organization’s teams have treated hundreds of dead and thousands of wounded, noting that injuries continue to arrive daily at its hospitals in Deir al-Balah and Gaza City.

She adds: “The violence continues, and the Gaza Strip is witnessing repeated incidents, the latest of which occurred in al-Maghazi camp, where medical teams received dozens of wounded, including critical cases.”

On 6 April, approximately 10 Palestinians were killed and others wounded by Israeli drone strikes and gunfire targeting a gathering of civilians east of al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Awda explains that restrictions on the entry of medical supplies have severely impacted health services, pointing to the difficulty in providing essential medications, especially for chronic diseases such as insulin.

She also notes a severe shortage of surgical instruments, sterilization materials, and infection control supplies, which has negatively affected the quality of medical care and the teams’ ability to treat patients.

Diseases Spreading

Awda warns of outbreaks of diseases linked to deteriorating living conditions, such as skin diseases, diarrhea, and respiratory illnesses, resulting from the scarcity of clean water and inadequate sanitation services.

She emphasizes that diseases like scabies have become more prevalent, especially among children in shelters and tents, due to the lack of hygiene and adequate healthcare.

These statements coincide with warnings issued by the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Hanan Balkhi, in an interview with Anadolu Agency on Monday, that the spread of diseases in Gaza threatens the entire region due to ongoing Israeli restrictions on the entry of medical aid, which hinders the health response.

Increasing Cases

Awda points out that children are the most vulnerable group, with medical facilities receiving increasing cases of respiratory illnesses and infections, including meningitis, in addition to worsening skin diseases.

She adds that some families delay seeking treatment due to the social stigma associated with skin diseases, which exacerbates the children’s health conditions.

She stressed the need for “real political pressure” on Israeli authorities to allow the urgent entry of medical and food supplies, warning that the continuation of the current situation threatens dire humanitarian consequences.

She affirmed that “the suffering of the population continues despite talk of a truce, amid a severe shortage of resources and a decline in basic services,” calling for immediate international action to save what remains of the health sector in Gaza.

The ceasefire agreement was reached after two years of a genocidal war launched by Israel in Gaza on October 8, 2013, with US support. The war continued in various forms afterward, leaving more than 72,000 Palestinians dead and over 172,000 wounded, and causing widespread destruction affecting 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure.