The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • Israel denies reports of ceasefire in Gaza Strip

    Israel denies reports of ceasefire in Gaza Strip

    Israel has denied reports of a planned ceasefire with the Palestinian extremist organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

    “There is no ceasefire,’’ the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu said on Monday morning.

    Earlier, there had been reports a ceasefire with Hamas would be implemented for several hours to allow foreign nationals to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt.

    Also as well as the entry of aid via the Rafah border crossing.

    Read Also: Toll gate of corruption at Lagos airport?

    The Israeli military has been bombarding targets in Gaza since the unprecedented attacks on Israeli civilians carried out by Hamas fighters on Oct. 7.

    Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the densely populated coastal enclave ruled by Hamas and has been completely sealed off following the attacks over a week ago.

    They are seeking shelter in the south of Gaza to avoid an expected Israeli ground invasion.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • Report links proliferation of small arms, ammunition in Africa to foreign military presence

    Report links proliferation of small arms, ammunition in Africa to foreign military presence

    Reportconducted by Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has attributed foreign military presence in Africa to the proliferation of arms, ammunition and growing insecurity in the continent.

    The report was dubbed Africa Peace Insight (API)

    The report noted that huge mineral exploration in the continent had not brought commensurate economic returns to clean up its environment, create economic prosperity and provide employment for its teeming youth population.

    Africa Peace Insight however, recommended de-militarization of Africa by ending all foreign military presence within a set time frame and developing a joint continental gateway to global mineral market.

    On its peace rating, API named Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Equatorial Guinea and Tunisia as most peaceful countries across the 5 subregions of Africa and it equally listed South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali and Democratic Republic of Congo as least peaceful countries across the subregion.

    The Executive Director, PeacePro Abdulrazaq Hamzat made revelation at an online public presentation which had 129 participants.

    He said.thaf “API is an extracted report from the Global Peace Index (GPI), produced by Australia based Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP) to contextualize, simplify and further breakdown the GPI from a continental perspective.”

    Read Also: Surrender illegal arms or risk jail, CP warns Anambra residents

    Hamzat explained that API report spotlighted ongoing conflict in Africa including the situation in ECOWAS led West Africa and the ongoing crisis in Sudan, review findings of Global Peace Index, presented Africa as a single entity by extracting North Africa rating from Middle East as done by the GPI.

    The report also outlined the most and least peaceful countries across the subregion and provide recommendation on pressing peacebuilding concern in the continent.

    The report said that more than 70 percent of the continent was more peaceful than the United States, despite the huge challenges in the continent, adding that no African country is amongst top 3 least peaceful countries in the world for 4 consecutive years.

    It also noted that Africa is the epicenter of global crisis, as the Ethiopian civil war recorded more death than any other conflict in the world, yet it wondered why the continent didn’t get commensurate relief support compared to Ukraine, which had less casualties.

    Lecturer at the Gambia University of Science Engineering and Technology (USET) Mrs Zulfah Jubril Sanni reviewed the report and said that the Africa Peace Insight report mirrored.the reality of the continent.

    According to Zulfah, The Gambia was listed as 4th most peaceful country in the report and she said that it reflected the peaceful nature of the country.

    “While the country may not be as developed and rich like Nigeria,  the general life style of the people is built around contentment and social cohesion” she said.

    Zulfah also maintained that, the false perception of  secessionist agitation in many African countries has been exposed as lacking depth, as demonstrated in Sudan.

    “Inspite of the separation of South Sudan from Sudan, both countries are still amongst the least peaceful countries in the continent, with both having an aggravated internal crisis, far beyond the situation they had before their separation. She said.

    Another reviewer, who is a member of the Kwara state House of Assembly Hon. Rukayat Shittu stated that, the media had.a huge role to play in giving positive reports about Africa more prominence.

    According to her, the review of the Global Peace Index in the Africa Peace Insight report brought a new perspective to the report.

    She said, media should deliberately seek out positive aspects of any report or situation to uplift the continent, rather than echoing the narrative of foreign media or being fixated on negative stories.

    Rukayat added that, “PeacePro has led the way in this aspect and that’s why we are now learning new facts about the Global Peace Index, which many thought outrightly concentrated in misery in the continent”.

  • How Israel dropped the ball on Hamas invasion

    How Israel dropped the ball on Hamas invasion

    • By Anatoliy Maksymov

    For the first time since 1973, Israel is officially at war. Unlike previous times, the enemy came from the Gaza Strip, from the inside of the country.

    The Hamas group attacked Israel. For a moment, its militants gained control over several settlements, captured hundreds of Israelis and citizens of other countries, and killed about a thousand soldiers and civilians.

    All international observers and experts are still trying to figure out how one of the world’s best intelligence services happened to miss this invasion. After all, as it became crystal clear during the first day, the Tzahal was utterly unprepared for fighting on such a scale. Or – maybe – the intelligence blew the whistle, but nobody wanted to listen?

    Israel and Hamas: a game of attrition that became a habit

    The two sides have been fighting almost non-stop since at least the 1990s. The full-blown fighting started in 2007 when Hamas seized power in Gaza and overthrew Yasser Arafat’s Fatah party. Israel is the number one target for Hamas. According to their ideology, it should be destroyed – Hamas wants to “throw Israel into the sea.”

    Over many years of confrontation, the Israelis have grown accustomed – insofar as possible – to missile and terrorist attacks and to attempts by certain terrorist groups to enter Israel through various tunnels. Many thought it would be this way in the future.

    War benefited everyone as long as both parties got to keep their power. Ironically, this was one of the few instances where certain right-wing Israelis and Hamas fanatics saw eye to eye.

    The fact that Israelis grew accustomed to this behavioral pattern along with the traditional celebrations and the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War left their army unprepared for large-scale combat operations and delayed the mobilization of reserve soldiers and their subsequent regrouping to the south of the country, closer to the Gaza Strip. Therefore, the residents of towns and kibbutz near the Gaza Strip were left virtually defenseless against the terror of Hamas.

    Hamas never acts on its own. It is part of the Iranian “proxy forces,” which also includes the Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement in Yemen, Hezbollah in Iraq and Lebanon, as well as other terrorist and paramilitary groups. Without Iranian funding and organizational support, launching thousands of rockets at once would have been impossible for the combatants from Gaza, as they simply don’t have enough resources.

    How the invasion happened

    The Hamas attack began on Shabbat (Saturday) on Oct. 7 at 6 a.m. with a massive missile attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. Most people, particularly the soldiers, were either resting or in a different region of the country, such as on the West Bank of the Jordan River or in the Golan Heights (for instance, the artillery and 26 battalions of the Tzahal). The missiles arrived as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in the central and eastern parts of the country accordingly.

    That’s when more than a thousand well-armed terrorists headed to Israel by land, to the great surprise of the still sleepy country. They broke through the protective barrier around the Sector, in some places simply tearing it down with bulldozers. The army’s response came overdue – in the afternoon, the “Nakhal,” “Golani,” “Maglan” and other brigades began to approach Gaza. The urban combat started, followed by the airstrikes on Gaza.

    Read Also: Israel’ll not stop fighting until Hamas loses military potential – Foreign ministry

    However, it wasn’t possible to chase them back immediately – they were too numerous. They hid in cities, drove on the roads, received reinforcements from Gaza, and attempted sea landings.

    Israel’s society, where almost every citizen served in the army, is now bombarding the authorities and intelligence with questions about how it was possible in the first place, for armed men to break through the most controlled border in the Middle East, where every centimeter is covered with motion sensors and cameras.

    There are no precise and unequivocal answers yet, but certain conclusions can already be drawn – in particular, the ones about the policies of the current government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

    The most spectacular failure since 1973?

    Israel had already lived through something similar in October 1973. Then Arab countries attacked during a holiday, like this time. And like this time, Israel was utterly unprepared for battle, suffering defeat after defeat during the first days of war.

    This level of unpreparedness comes as a great surprise in a country that boasts several highly skilled intelligence services led by the legendary Mossad. But neither Mossad (although it was supposed to monitor Iran and Lebanon) nor Shabak (a local analog of FBI) nor Aman military intelligence raised the alarm.

    However, another opinion was voiced – the intelligence tried to blow the whistle, but Netanyahu’s office chose not to listen.

    The thing is that many armed forces members, representatives of intelligence, and former reservists sided with the protesters when “Bibi” was trying to push his legal reform – the one taking several important powers from the Supreme Court – through the Knesset.

    Netanyahu did not forgive and did not forget. At that time, the story ended with an open clinch with the power block.

    Moreover, it is known that Netanyahu even refused to read intelligence reports – just like his dear American friend Donald Trump.

    Another reason is that the political ambitions and objectives of the Netanyahu government are concentrated in the eastern part of the country, not in the south.

    Tzahal was ordered to protect the construction of illegal settlements on the West Bank of the Jordan River and the Golan Heights. As a result of the 1967 and 1973 wars, Israel seized these territories along with East Jerusalem.

    The whole world considers this an occupation. Only Israel did not leave this land, as it happened with the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza. On the contrary, the settlers – Israelis who live in small settlements surrounded by Palestinians, in difficult living conditions and with challenged security – have become the base of the electorate of Netanyahu and his ultra-right-wing ministers. Further development of settlements became their ideology.

    It was believed there was no threat from the south – the Hamas were “pacified” and did not want a big war, and the “Iron Dome” would handle the shelling.

    As it turned out, it was nothing more than wishful thinking. Some international media have already written about the fact that the planning of this attack started two years ago. While Israel was handing out money to Palestinian workers, they were giving it to Hamas, which in turn stole billions of dollars in international aid given to the Sector.

    All the funds “collected” this way were used to purchase weapons and pay for the work of Iranian instructors. The WSJ publication reported that since August 2023, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been developing the final details of the attack and gave the “green light” to the terrorists during a meeting in Beirut.

    And so, as Hamas paragliders landed and 3,000 rockets flew overhead, Gaza’s elite commandos raced toward the border and pounded it with tractors, explosives, and brute force. They attacked the headquarters of the “Southern” command and jammed their communications, preventing attempts to call for help. All other militants terrorized civilians and took prisoners.

    This is how Netanyahu’s geopolitical gambit failed

    In recent years, the Gaza Strip has experienced a period of relative calm. This has allowed Israel to shift its foreign policy focus from solving local security issues to developing diplomatic relationships with its neighbors. As a result of this shift, Israel has signed the Abraham Accords, which are agreements aimed at normalizing and restoring diplomatic relations between the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and Israel. These accords represent a significant step towards reconciliation and improved relations between Israel and the Arab world.

    Despite these positive developments, Saudi Arabia has yet to join the treaty, insisting that the issue with the Palestinians be resolved first. However, there has been progress made in this regard as well. Israel has even established contacts with Iran, a country that has long been considered its sworn enemy.

    It is highly probable that this issue will be forgotten for an indefinite period. The entire Arab world once again showed their support for the Palestinians in their fight against Israel.

    Netanyahu’s grand political gambit has failed.

    He will most likely win the war, but like Golda Meir’s situation in 1973, he may lose his office. And Israel is going to live through the difficult weeks and years of recovery and investigations into who exactly is to blame for the events that occurred.

    • ”              This article was first published in www.kyivpost.com
  • Spain backs ECOWAS on protecting democracy in member states

    Spain backs ECOWAS on protecting democracy in member states

    Spain has given its backing to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in its efforts to protect democracy in the sub-region.

    Already, five ECOWAS member countries have experienced military takeover in the last three years.

    The countries under military rule in the sub-region are Gabon, Mali, Guinea, Chad, and Burkina Faso.

    The Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Juan Sell, disclosed this on the occasion of his country’s National Day celebration in Abuja.

    Sell said: “When addressing the UN General Assembly, President Tinubu, with full legitimacy, also spoke on

    behalf of Africa, since what Nigeria does and does not has a direct impact in the continent and in Western Africa in particular, and this entails, as the

    Read Also: ECOWAS observer mission urges Liberians to remain calm until results declaration

    President also underscored, the responsibility of leading by example.

    “And as we speak of the region, I take this opportunity to express our full support and that of the EU to ECOWAS in their determination to protect democracy in member states and deepen regional integration.”

    Sell also pledged support to Nigeria during its tough moments.

    He said: “As Nigeria embarks on a new stage, difficult but badly needed decisions are taken, reforms are announced and changes implemented, and we are aware that that comes with challenges for the population, but Nigeria is a resourceful country, and so is its people, and we are sure that you will get it done.

    “We want to be partners in that process of renewal, and “we don’t walk alone”, since we are part of Team Europe in Nigeria.”

  • Israel urges civilians to leave Gaza City as military amasses tanks

    Israel urges civilians to leave Gaza City as military amasses tanks

    Israel on Friday called for all civilians in the northern half of the Gaza Strip, to relocate south within 24 hours, as it amassed tanks for an expected ground assault in response to an attack by the militant group Hamas.

    There are more than 1 million people living in the northern half of the Gaza Strip.

    Hamas, which controls the strip, told residents to stay put and vowed to fight to the last drop of blood.

    By Friday afternoon there was no sign of any mass exodus as Israel prepared its onslaught.

    “Death is better than leaving,” said Mohammad, 20, standing in the street outside a building reduced to rubble in an Israeli air strike two days ago near the centre of Gaza.

    “I was born here, and I will die here. Leaving is a stigma,” he added.

    The United Nations said evacuating everyone was impossible with power supplies cut and food and water in the Palestinian enclave running short after a week of retaliatory air strikes and a full Israeli blockade. The U.S. called it a “tall order”.

    The northern half of the Gaza Strip includes the enclave’s biggest settlement, Gaza City.

    The UN said it had been told that Israel wanted the entire population to move across the wetlands that bisect the enclave.

    “Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields,” the Israeli military said, accusing Hamas of hiding in and under civilian buildings.

    Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority and a rival of Hamas, told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jordan that the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza would constitute a repeat of 1948 when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from what is now Israel.

    Most Gazans are the descendants of such refugees.

    Abbas called for aid to be allowed into Gaza immediately.

    Read Also: Gaza Strip: We are all united against Israel, says Palestine Ambassador

    Israel has said it will not lift its blockade until scores of hostages captured by Hamas are set free.

    The Red Cross has said hospitals could soon run out of emergency fuel.

    International talks are focused on providing aid and safe zones in Gaza amid fears that the conflict could spread, with Iran warning of a response from its allies, which include Hamas and the powerful Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.

    Pro-Palestinian protests were held around the world and in some places, Jewish communities feared they could be targeted after Israel’s military response to the unprecedented weekend attacks that killed more than 1,300 people, mostly civilians.

    Israel has already responded with the most intensive air strikes of its 75-year conflict with the Palestinians.

    Gaza authorities say more than 1,500 people have been killed.

    “We are ready to join the fight and rid the Palestinians of the Israeli atrocities,” said Muntadhar Kareem, 25, a teacher among thousands of Iraqis protesting in Baghdad.

    The Israeli military pledged to operate “significantly” in the coming days.

    “We are fighting for our home. We are fighting for our future,” Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said.

    “The path will be long, but ultimately I promise you we will win,” the minister added.

    Israel says the horrific attack on its civilians means it must annihilate the militant group and others must get out of the way.

    Hamas tunnels, military compounds, senior operatives’ residences and weapons storage warehouses were among 750 military targets struck overnight, it said.

    The military wing of Hamas said the latest air strikes had killed 13 of the captives it brought back from Israel and that it had fired 150 rockets at Israel in response.

    The United Nations said Israel’s call for Gaza civilians to leave could not happen “without devastating humanitarian consequences”, prompting a rebuke from Israel which said it should condemn Hamas and support Israel’s right to self-defence.

    A ground invasion of the narrow and densely populated Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million people, poses a serious risk, with Hamas threatening to kill its hostages.

    Hours after the Israeli evacuation call, there were no signs people were leaving Gaza City, where dozens gathered at the al-Shifa Hospital, vowing to stay put.

    Palestinians in southern and central areas of the enclave, where people were expected to flee, said air strikes had hit there overnight, with central parts also hit on Friday morning.

    “No place is safe in the entire Gaza Strip,” the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.

    The UN Humanitarian Office (OCHA) said more than 400, 000 people had already been made homeless in Gaza and 23 aid workers had been killed.

    “Mass displacement continues,” it said.

    The UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) said it had moved its central operations centre and international staff to Gaza’s south and urged Israel to spare its shelters.

    Seeking to build support for its response, Israel’s government showed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO defence ministers graphic images of those killed.

    “It’s simply depravity in the worst imaginable way,” Blinken said, joining others in urging Israel to show restraint while also reiterating America’s support, saying: “We will always be there by your side.”

    On Friday he met Jordan’s King Abdullah as well as Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank but lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2007.

    Blinken is also set to visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates – some of the countries with influence on Hamas, which is backed by Iran.

    Iran’s foreign minister met the head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nassrallah in Lebanon, where there have been cross-border clashes with Israel since the weekend, according to Lebanese media outlets reported.

    “The continuation of war crimes against Palestine and Gaza will receive a response from the rest of the axis,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said.

    The foreign minister of Turkey, which has offered mediation, talked with his counterpart from the UAE, a Turkish foreign ministry source said, and will visit Egypt on Friday.

    The U.S. military is placing no conditions on its security assistance to Israel, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, adding Washington expected it to “do the right things”. Austin was due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Friday.

    The United States and Japan were among countries offering charter flights for their citizens wanting to leave Israel while police in Paris used tear gas and water cannon to break up a banned rally in support of the Palestinians.

    Some Jewish schools in Amsterdam and London were set to close temporarily due to safety concerns and police in New York and Los Angeles stepped up their presence around synagogues and Jewish community centres.

    Abbas and the Palestinian Authority say they oppose killing civilians but have stopped short of directly condemning the Hamas attacks, blaming the escalation on Israel having strengthened extremists by ignoring Palestinian grievances.

    Gazans have suffered economic collapse and repeated Israeli bombardment under a blockade since Hamas seized power there 16 years ago.

    Talks to create a Palestinian state collapsed a decade ago and Israel’s right-wing government has cracked down in the West Bank and talked of seizing more land. Israel says it has had no reliable partner for negotiations.

    (Reuters/NAN) 

  • Teacher killed, others wounded in France school stabbing

    Teacher killed, others wounded in France school stabbing

    A man armed with a knife killed a teacher at the high school in northern France he once attended and critically wounded another teacher and a security guard Friday, authorities said, an attack being investigated as potential terrorism amid soaring global tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas.

    French anti-terror prosecutors said they were leading the investigation into the attack at the Gambetta high school in the city of Arras, some 115 miles north of Paris. They said they were investigating charges including terror-related murder and attempted murder against the suspect, who was arrested.

    National police said the suspected assailant was a Russian national of Chechen origin. The French intelligence services said the suspect had been closely watched since the summer with tails and telephone surveillance and was stopped as recently as Thursday for a police check that found no wrongdoing.

    Sliman Hamzi, a police officer who was one of the first on the scene said the suspected attacker, a former student at the school, shouted “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great” in Arabic.

    Hamzi said he was alerted by another officer who was passing in front of the high school and called in. He “was shouting ‘someone is attacking with a knife,’” Hamzi said

    Hamzi said he rushed to the school and saw a male victim lying on the ground outside the school and the attacker being taken away.

    “Colleagues arrived quickly but unfortunately couldn’t save the victim,” Hamzi said.

    Police said two other men, a second teacher and a security guard, were in critical condition.

    School attacks are rare in France. President Emmanuel Macron was heading to the scene along with the interior and education ministers, and the government asked authorities to heighten vigilance at all schools across the country.

    Read Also: Gaza Strip: We are all united against Israel, says Palestine Ambassador

    Julie Duhamel, an official with the the Unsa teachers’ union in the Pas-de-Calais region that includes Arras, told Franceinfo that teachers had noted the suspect’s radicalization “a few years ago.”

    Hundreds of police deployed around the school and nearby neighborhoods, including heavily armed units, and barricaded a wide perimeter around the school. Parents said pupils were still confined to the locked-down school more than three hours after the attack.

    Friday’s attack came three years after a teacher was beheaded outside a school in suburban Paris. Samuel Paty, a history and geography teacher, was murdered on Oct 16, 2020 — also a Friday — by an 18-year-old who had become radicalized. Like the suspect in Friday’s stabbings, that attacker was of Chechen background.

    Martin Doussau, a philosophy teacher at the Gambetta high school, said the attacker appeared to be hunting for a history teacher.

    “I was chased by the attacker who … asked me if I teach history. (He said), ‘Are you a history teacher, are you a history teacher?’” said Doussau, who recounted how he barricaded himself behind a door until police used a stun gun to subdue the attacker.

    “When he turned around and asked me if I am a history teacher, I immediately thought of Samuel Paty,” Doussau told reporters.

    The attack came amid heightened tensions around the world over Hamas’ weekend attack on southern Israel and Israel’s military response, which have killed hundreds of civilians on both sides. There have been calls in Muslim nations for mass protests after Friday prayers over Israel’s intense bombing campaign in Gaza.

    Darmanin on Thursday ordered local authorities to ban all pro-Palestinian demonstrations amid a rise in antisemitic acts since the Hamas attack.

    France is estimated to have the world’s third-largest Jewish population after Israel and the U.S., and the largest Muslim population in Western Europe.

    A vice president of France’s lower house of parliament, Naima Moutchou, said the National Assembly “expresses its solidarity and thoughts for the victims, their families and the educational community as we learn that a teacher has been killed and several others have been injured.″

    Newsnow

  • Commonwealth secretary hails High Commissioner in UK

    Commonwealth secretary hails High Commissioner in UK

    The Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland, has described as exemplary the performance of Nigeria’s outgoing High Commissioner in United Kingdom Sarafa Isola.

    In a letter, Scotland said Ishola’s tireless efforts have contributed to the strengthened of bond between Nigeria and the Commonwealth.

    “As a long-standing and valued member of the Commonwealth family and one of Africa’s largest democracies, your legacy of active participation and meaningful interventions in meetings and ministerial events as well as in ensuring Nigeria maintained its position as one of the top eight contributors, will not be forgotten and will serve as a model for others.

    Read Also:Gabon coup: Ousted President Bongo appeals for help as Commonwealth expresses concern

    “As Chair of the Accreditation Committee for two consecutive years, you have played a crucial role in enhancing the accreditation process and ensuring new associations reflect the values and the principles of the Commonwealth. The committee has benefited from your leadership, guidance, and unwavering commitment to the betterment of the secretariat,” the letter stated.

    The Commonwealth Secretary General noted that as the Nigerian envoy prepare to depart UK, she offered her heartfelt congratulations on the successful completion of his term and gratitude for his sustained support and encouragement.

    “You have represented your country with dignity and honour and your support and your contributions have left an indelible mark. I have no doubt that your next endeavour will be equally impactful and successful, and I wish you and your family the very best,” the letter added.

  • U.S., Qatar agree to freeze access to $6b aid to Iran

    U.S., Qatar agree to freeze access to $6b aid to Iran

    • Blinken urges Israel to show restraint in Gaza
    • Gaza’s biggest hospital’s morgue overflowing

    The United States and Qatar have agreed to stop Iran from accessing a controversial $6 billion account for humanitarian aid in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel.

    The move was made amid questions about what role Tehran may have played in supporting the bloody surprise Hamas attack from Gaza, according to reports by The Washington Post and New York Times.

    Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo informed House Democrats about the agreement to block access to the account yesterday.

    The money, which comes from unfrozen Iranian oil sales, was only made available to the country several weeks ago as part of a prisoner swap deal with the U.S.

    Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv yesterday that the U.S. had the right to freeze the account, while not confirming that it would.

    In a show of solidarity with Washington’s closest Middle East ally, Blinken told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that America has Israel’s back as it prepares to wage war on Hamas in Gaza.

    Blinken also expressed confidence that Israel would exercise restraint at it attempts to annihilate the terrorist group in the densely crowded strip of land, where over 1,300 Gazans have already died in Israeli airstrike since Saturday, according to health authorities there.

    “Israel has the right, indeed the obligation, to defend itself and to ensure that this never happens again,” Blinken said, referring to the deadly incursion Hamas mounted from Gaza at the weekend, which killed more than 1,000 people, including 25 Americans. But he added: “How Israel does this matters. We democracies distinguish ourselves from terrorists by striving for a different standard?.?.?.?That’s why it’s so important to take every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians.”

     The morgue at Gaza’s biggest hospital overflowed yesterday as bodies came in faster than relatives could claim them on the sixth day of Israel’s heavy aerial bombardment on the territory of 2.3 million people.

    Read Also: Trump criticises Netanyahu as unprepared for Hamas attack on Israel

    With scores of Palestinians killed each day in the Israeli onslaught after an unprecedented Hamas attack, medics in the besieged enclave said they have run out of places to put remains pulled from the latest strikes or recovered from the ruins of demolished buildings.

    The morgue at Gaza City’s Shifa hospital can only handle some 30 bodies at a time, and workers had to stack corpses three high outside the walk-in cooler and put dozens more, side by side, in the parking lot. Some were placed in a tent, and others were sprawled on the cement, under the sun.

    Israel is preparing for a possible ground invasion of Gaza for the first time in nearly a decade. A ground offensive would likely drive up the Palestinian death toll, which already has outpaced the past four bloody wars between Israel and Hamas.

    British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is deploying two Royal Navy ships and surveillance aircraft to the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel and reinforce regional stability, his Downing Street office said on Thursday.

    The military package, which includes P8 surveillance planes, other surveillance assets, two auxiliary ships, three Merlin helicopters and a company of Royal Marines, will be on standby in the region to provide “practical support to Israel … and offer deterrence and assurance,” Downing Street said.

  • ECOWAS observer mission urges Liberians to remain calm until results declaration

    ECOWAS observer mission urges Liberians to remain calm until results declaration

    The ECOWAS Commission Observation Mission to Liberia has urged stakeholders in the country’s election process, particularly political parties, candidates, their supporters, security forces and citizens, to remain calm and patient until the official declaration of results by the National Elections Commission.

    It praised the sense of patriotism exhibited by polling staff, security forces and the populace, who collectively played their parts in ensuring a peaceful conduct of the 2023 general elections.

    The commission also highly commended the vast majority of the electorate for their patience and the sense of patriotism they exhibited.

    It emphasised the need for the Legislature and other critical stakeholders to consider the review of relevant portions of the Liberian Constitution and electoral law to allow elections to be held during the dry season.

    At a media briefing yesterday to provide updates on its observations of election activities in the country, the mission stated that allowing elections to be held in the dry season would enable election workers and materials to reach hard-to-reach destinations more efficiently.

    Read Also: ECOWAS rules to protect pastoralists discourage investments in modern livestock farming

    Head of the Observation Mission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, noted that there were challenges associated with infrastructure and their impact on the smooth conduct of the elections. He urged the government to implement measures to improve infrastructure conditions.

    Acknowledging that the polling process generally proceeded smoothly and peacefully, long queue congestion at voting precincts and the slow pace of the process led to some voters expressing frustration.

    Jega used the opportunity to recommend a reform in the election laws to reduce the number of voters per polling unit, while considering the resources needed for this reform to address congestion and long queues.

    He stated: “The sense of patriotism exhibited by polling staff, security forces, and the populace, who collectively played their parts in ensuring a peaceful conduct of the 2023 general elections.”

    Jega also reminded candidates and political parties of the commitment made within the framework of the Revised Farmington River Declaration. This commitment involves using only legal channels and lawful means to address any disputes that may arise from the conduct of the 2023 general elections.

  • Trump criticises Netanyahu as unprepared for Hamas attack on Israel

    Trump criticises Netanyahu as unprepared for Hamas attack on Israel

    Donald Trump has criticised his former ally Benjamin Netanyahu and called the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah “smart” as the Israel-Palestinian conflict reached its worst point in 50 years.

    The former US president and the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination told Fox News that Israel prime minister Netanyahu failed to prepare against Hamas’ deadliest offensive and was caught unprepared.

    Read Also: Biden calls Hamas attack on Israel ‘deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust’

    “He has been hurt very badly because of what’s happened here,” Mr Trump said of Mr Netanyahu on Wednesday night. “He was not prepared. He was not prepared and Israel was not prepared.”

    Israel has declared a state of war against Hamas and launched unprecedented strikes in Gaza after the surprise attack by the Palestinian terrorist group on Saturday that has led to the deaths of more than 1,200 Israelis and more than 2,700 are injured.

    The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the death toll in Gaza has risen to 1,200, with about 5,500 wounded.

    Newsnow