Uncertainty in Gaza amplified by closure of key border crossings
In its latest warning to the Israeli authorities not to pursue mass evacuation orders from eastern Rafah, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, insisted that a mass evacuation on such a scale would be “impossible to carry out safely”. “There are…
Guterres urges Israel, Hamas ‘to show political courage’ and secure ceasefire
In the far south of the Gaza Strip, bordering Egypt, the town of Rafah has been hosting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from elsewhere in the enclave due to the ongoing Israeli military operation. There are also grave concerns…
Patients in Rafah ‘afraid to seek services’, WHO reports
The current situation has reached an “unprecedented emergency level”, he said, and the most recent evacuation order by Israel has forced tens of thousands to flee. As part of the contingency effort, WHO and partners have been establishing field hospitals…
Moscow threatens UK with strikes if Ukraine hits Russia with British weapons
Moscow threatened Monday to strike at British military targets inside Ukraine and elsewhere if Kyiv’s forces struck Russia with British-supplied long-range missiles — a move British Foreign Secretary David Cameron greenlighted Kyiv to take in self-defense. During a visit in…
NASA’s historic Boeing flight set to launch
The Boeing Starliner spaceship is set to launch astronauts to the International Space Station on Monday night, ten years after its commission by NASA. NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams will pilot the flight test to the space station,…
Russia announces nuclear drills in response to perceived Western threats
Russia plans to perform drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, in response to what it called “provocative statements and threats from France, Britain and the United States regarding the Russian Federation,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, a warning…
UN pledges to stand with Gazans amid reports Hamas has accepted ceasefire deal
Multiple news outlets have reported that Hamas’s supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had confirmed the militant group’s acceptance of what it stated were Israel’s ceasefire terms in a phone call with Qatar’s Prime Minister and a senior Egyptian minister. The two…
UN and partners issue urgent funding appeal for Yemen
Nine years of war have left over half the population – 18.2 million people, mainly women and children – in need of assistance and protection services. The humanitarian response in Yemen is among the largest in the world, yet a…
Unexploded ordnance leaves dark legacy for Gaza, warn mine action experts
Briefing reporters late last month, UN Mine Action Service officers said the war has already left behind around 37 million tonnes of debris, and it could take 14 years to make Gaza safe from unexploded bombs. The development comes amid…
Russia says Ukrainian drone attack killed 6 in Belgorod
Officials in western Russia said a Ukrainian drone attack killed at least six people Monday in the Belgorod region near the Russia-Ukraine border. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the regional governor in Belgorod, said on Telegram the drone struck several vehicles and that…