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Tag: Israel

  • Is Israel God’s country?

    Is Israel God’s country?

    A New Book, The Genius of Israel by Dan Senor, is attracting love from the west today. It tells the story of how a people, bordered by fiery foes and little natural resources, has become one of the great successes. The book touts Israeli cooperative ethos, its creative energy, its  historic blessedness across centuries. Today, it is second to the U.S, in top NASDAQ firms, second to the US in patents. Over 30 percent of Nobel prizes, especially in the Sciences are Jewish. Some tend to say it is because it is their destiny. It will remain an issue of debate, and some have canvassed it to justify Israeli savagery in Gaza.

    It is the leading nation in semi-conductors today, and people say, hail Israeli. When I was reporting technology in the US, I learned that the US gave billions of dollars every year in subventions to Israel. US supports Israel in many ways. It is a nation on welfare cheques. Some critics have said any nation can do so well with so much support. Today, America’s weapons and intelligence is helping Israel. Two issues. One, unlike those who rewrite the scriptures, Israel is not God’s favoured nation today.They don’t accept Christ. They even forbid their kids to marry Christians. God deals with individuals, not nations. Or shall we say, he deals with nations based on the aggregate righteousness of the people. “Work out your salvation,” says Paul, who also says he  is a Jew not outwardly, but inwardly. Hence, he urges all to circumcise the foreskin of the heart. Two, the Jews have transformed ages of persecution into material inspiration for success. It is culture, not destiny. Israel is not less endowed than Nigeria. We hate cohesion and one-ness of spirit the Jews advance. If our leaders work a united ethos and spirit, we can develop. The destiny is not some mystical fact but, as Jose Ortega Y Gasset assert, a factor of history.

    Read Also: Melaye kicks as INEC declares Ododo Kogi Gov-Elect

    The author eulogises Israel that mounts an ungodly system of apartheid with Christians, Arabs and others holed up in Gaza and West Bank without light, water, and basic infrastructure. I am no Hamas fan. The Arab nations need a Nasser to work out a Two-state solution. Even their Arab leaders have little imagination and vision to compel the world to a genuine two-state solution.

  • Israel’s Ayatollahs

    Israel’s Ayatollahs

    • By Diane Francis

    On November 5, Israel‘s Heritage Minister said on radio that dropping a nuclear bomb was “one way” to deal with Gaza. He was also dismissive about providing humanitarian aid and commented “we wouldn’t have given the Nazis humanitarian aid. There’s no such thing as innocents in Gaza.” The world was shocked, and the next day Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended the Minister. But left-leaning newspaper Haaretz said he should have been fired, along with his party leader who has said the Gaza Strip “should be flattened” and wiped “off the map”.

    The incident upset the corridors of power globally and locally, prompting the Editor of pro-Netanyahu newspaper, Yisrael Hayom, to condemn the regime. “Cabinet ministers blurting out incendiary rhetoric only to be reprimanded and then doing it all over again as if nothing happened,” wrote Uri Dagon. “It’s time to think out loud rather than in a whisper: Benjamin Netanyahu needs to go as soon as possible.”

    Politics are complicated, but Israel’s current catastrophe isn’t just about politics. It’s about religious fanaticism and raw ambition. It’s about the future of Israel. After a storied career as a war hero and Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Netanyahu began his fall after being charged in 2019 with a number of corrupt practices. To remain in power, he joined forces with ultra-right fanatics and struck a “Faustian Bargain”: He could avoid a trial and possible imprisonment and, in return, would push their ruthless agenda.

    Ever since, religious extremists have been given a green light to illegally annex Palestinian property in the West Bank and the Haredim, or ultra-Orthodox, became exempt from paying taxes or serving in the military. Such political favoritism has eroded the rule of law, democratic rights, and pluralism in the State of Israel, a reality that culminated in mass street protests this year by Israelis after Netanyahu attempted to tamper with the judiciary to suit his political purposes.

    About 73 percent of Israelis are Jewish, and most are not fanatics. The remainder of the country is populated by a mix of Christians, non-Islamist Druze Arabs, and Muslims. But now everyone living there is subjected to a government dominated by extremists and must fight a war that, according to Haaretz and others, was triggered by government security failures that resulted in the October 7 massacre. Now as this government prosecutes a war in such a ferocious way in Gaza, world opinion turns against Israel and its people. “Entire swaths of the government belong to the dangerous far right,” stated Haaretz. “Netanyahu isn’t the solution, but the problem.”

    It’s emblematic that the shocking “nuclear” threat was made by Amicha Eliyahu, a ranking member of Israel’s most troublesome political bloc — the “settlers” in the West Bank. For years, they have seized lands, in contravention of international law, and intimidated and killed Palestinians along the way. Now 500,000 strong, and in control of 40 percent of the West Bank, their tactics are reviled globally but ignored and encouraged by the Netanyahu regime.

    Since the war began, their tactics have escalated, opening another war front. According to The Times of Israel, settlers have committed more than 100 assaults since October 7, sometimes under the protection of Israel’s military, according to Israeli human rights group Yesh Din.

    “The [settler] attacks have allegedly taken place in at least 62 West Bank locations and have caused the death of at least six Palestinians by live fire. Palestinians were killed in clashes with settlers in the West Bank village of Qusra, close to Nablus, on October 11, and two more were gunned down the following day when settlers allegedly opened fire on a funeral procession,” reported The Times of Israel.

    This turmoil has grabbed the attention of allies. The European Union labels it “settler terrorism” and has asked Israel to stop it immediately. President Joe Biden last week said “they’re attacking Palestinians in places they’re entitled to be. It has to stop now.”

    Read Also: The United Nations and the Israeli-Gaza war

    The consensus inside Israel is that Netanyahu must go, and a new cabinet must be assembled that proportionally represents all Israelis and adheres to western norms. This one has no credibility. It launched devastating air attacks on Gaza and then an invasion to destroy a mobile guerrilla army that’s fled or hidden. It has displaced civilians, turned half the place into rubble, and still appears to have no end game in sight apart from revenge.

    Initially, Netanyahu said Gaza would be invaded and Israel’s forces would leave once Hamas was eradicated. Then a possible plan was leaked, prepared by Israeli intelligence, that all of Gaza’s two million residents would be relocated to Egypt, a notion that Cairo immediately stated would constitute a “declaration of war”. Netanyahu then pivoted and told ABC News that Israel would manage security in the Gaza Strip for an “indefinite period” after it dismantled Hamas.

    That was immediately slapped down by Biden. That would perpetuate the “frozen conflict”. Others speculated that, given Israeli’s current crazed leadership, continuing the occupation would replicate the West Bank quagmire where Palestinians remain, but religious settlers are allowed to expropriate large amounts of land, under the watchful eye of Israel’s occupation force.

    “Gaza cannot continue to be run by Hamas. It’s also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza,” stated American Secretary of State Antony Blinken on November 8. “Now the reality is that there may be a need for some transition period at the end of the conflict, but it is imperative that the Palestinian people [and Palestinian Authority] be central to the governance of Gaza and the West Bank. No reoccupation of Gaza.”

    Tragically, Israelis are trapped in a dysfunctional democracy. They are divided, ignored, and angry. Netanyahu recently had to leave a podium, where he was to address a group of elite reserve soldiers, after one shouted “you are a liar”, among other insults. The war has also upset Israel’s minorities, who pay taxes and whose children served in its military.

    On November 5, leader of Israel’s 150,000 Druze people requested revisions to the country’s Basic Law that was changed in 2018 to limit protection to Jewish residents only. According to The Jerusalem Post, Druze leader Muwafaq Tarif wrote that The Basic Law does not guarantee “our rights” and that, given the war, “it’s time that [situation] changes… Many Druze people serve in the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces], some of whom have been killed during the Israel-Hamas war.”

    Despite dissension, Israelis will remain united during the war. “The real concern is what happens after the war,” wrote Hayom’s Dagon. “It is clear that Netanyahu will not throw in the towel – unlike the IDF senior brass, the intelligence officials, and practically everyone else who is responsible for the October 7 debacle. I dread the prospect of Israel having won the war in Gaza only to lose its collective solidarity as a nation; I fear the chaos that will reign here – which will make the judicial reform protests pale in comparison.

    • This article was originally published in www.kyivpost.com
  • Israel/Hamas war: Oyo Muslim seeks UN intervention

    Israel/Hamas war: Oyo Muslim seeks UN intervention

    The Coalition of Muslim Organizations, (CMO) in Oyo state has sought intervention from the international community led by the United Nations (UN) on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas with a view to stop bombings and other civilian enclaves in Palestine.

    This request formed part of the CMO request as presented by Prof. Modiu Durowoju during the solidarity rally at the Iwo-Road intersection, Ibadan.

    Hundreds of Muslims in Oyo State on Saturday staged a peaceful protest which started at the Iwo Road under bridge around 9:00 am and culminated at OTM Mosque in Iwo Road around 12:00 pm.

    The protesters, who gathered at Iwo Road said many innocent lives have been lost as a result of the war.

    In his remark, Durowoju who explained that the CMO’s declaration was a sequel to deliberations and careful study of the ongoing war in Palestine, also urged the United Nations to lead efforts at creating humanitarian corridors, ensuring aid and relief packages have access to Gaza and other places, as well as lifting of the siege of Gaza as part of ceasefire and peace process.

    He said the organization demanded from the international community led by the United Nations, UN retrieval of the peace process from the monopoly of the United States which has become part of the Israeli occupation machinery.

    He noted: “We call on the Arab League, The African Union, and other regional governments to exert pressure that will change the apartheid character of the Zionist state of Israel and make it conform to international laws and norms.”

    Earlier, the Chief Imam of Organization of Thadomunul Muslimeen, OTM mosque, Adogba, Ibadan, Alhaji Abdulkabeer Muhammadul-awal said the gathering which aligned with global advocacy for the protection of human rights and freedom for the oppressed as taught in Islam.

    Read Also: Gaza: Israeli attacks intensify as US envoy faces Arab anger

    Muhammadul-awal maintained that the need for peace in Palestine has to do with history, creed and acts of worship, hence the imperative for Muslims to support the struggle for the liberation of Palestine.

    In his keynote address, the grand Mufti, Conference of Islamic Organizations, CIO, Dr. Dhikrullai Shafi’ called on Arab nations to cut diplomatic ties with Israel, and support Palestine with allied forces and open their borders for easy passage of food, water, drugs and other aids for the oppressed women and children in Gaza.

    According to him, “Israel came into being 75 years ago. Before 1948 there was no nation called Israel; it is a product of the United States’ connivance with the United Nations, following the Berlin conference and aftermath of the Second World War”.

    A lecturer at the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Osun State University, Okuku campus, Dr Usamat Olalere appealed to the United Nations to implement the 2-states resolution on Palestine to ensure peace.

    The Dawah Missioner for Jannata Islamiyya Association of Nigeria, Oyo state chapter, Ustaz Luqman Gbadamosi, called on Muslims to boycott all Israeli products to weaken their financial power to prosecute the ongoing war against the Palestinians.

    The Ameer, Federation of Ahlus-Sunnah in Nigeria (FASON), Sheikh Tajudeen Al-adabi represented by the Ameer Sunnah, Ijebu-Igbo, Ustaz Miftaudeen Hamzat, while praying for the victory for Palestine reaffirmed that the oppressed will be victorious as divinely ordained.

    The Chief Missioner, Muslim Community of Oyo State (MUSCOY), Dr Daud Amoo-Alaga pointed out that Islam is a global faith that teaches that suffering or injury to one affects other faithful.

  • Israel – Hamas war: Hezbollah leader threatens escalation

    Israel – Hamas war: Hezbollah leader threatens escalation

    Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that his powerful militia is already engaged in unprecedented fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border and threatened a further escalation as Israel’s war with Hamas nears the one-month mark.

    In televised remarks — his first since the Palestinian militants’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel — Nasrallah stopped short of announcing that Hezbollah would fully enter the war, a move that would have devastating consequences for both Lebanon and Israel.

    The United States, Israel’s strongest backer, has warned Hezbollah and its patron Iran against entering the fray and has sent warships to the Mediterranean, a move Nasrallah said “will not scare us.”

    Hezbollah is prepared for all options, he declared, “and we can resort to them at any time.” The fighting would “not be limited” to the scale seen so far, he added. In recent weeks, Hezbollah has fired rockets across the border daily, mainly hitting military targets in northern Israel, but it has a substantial arsenal capable of hitting anywhere in Israel and thousands of battle-hardened fighters.

    Nasrallah’s speech had been widely anticipated throughout the region as an indication of whether the Israel-Hamas conflict would spiral into a regional war.

    “Some say I’m going to announce that we have entered the battle,” Nasrallah said Friday. “We already entered the battle on Oct. 8.” He argued that Hezbollah’s cross-border strikes have pulled away Israeli forces that would otherwise be focused on Hamas in Gaza.

    Celebratory gunshots rang out over Beirut as thousands packed into a square in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital to watch Nasrallah’s speech broadcast via video-link on a massive screen.

    Thursday saw the most significant escalation on the Israel-Lebanon border since the war started, with Hezbollah firing off a barrage of mortar shells and anti-tank missiles and, for the first time, exploding drones.

    Read Also: Israel launches expanded ground operation in Gaza

    In Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday to urge protections for civilians in the fighting with Hamas, as Israeli troops tightened their encirclement of Gaza City.

    Nasrallah criticized the strong U.S. backing of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza that has killed more than 9,000 people, mostly civilians. While U.S. officials in recent days have pushed more publicly for protecting civilians in Gaza, they have yet to call for a cease-fire.

    The Hezbollah leader said U.S. President Joe Biden had made a “fake argument that Hamas cut off children’s heads (without) evidence, but stayed silent for the thousands of children in Gaza who were decapitated and their limbs were torn apart” by Israeli bombing.

    Nasrallah praised Hamas’ Oct. 7 rampage across southern Israel. The militants attacked farming villages, towns and military posts, killing more than 1,400 people — most of them civilians — and taking hundreds of hostages back to Gaza while Israeli forces were slow to respond.

    It was “proof that Israel is weaker than a spider’s web” and one month into the war, it “has not been able to make any achievement,” Nasrallah said.

    He insisted that Hamas had planned the attack in secrecy and that Hezbollah had no part in it. “This great, large-scale operation was purely the result of Palestinian planning and implementation,” Nasrallah said.

    Facing a relentless aerial bombardment and now a ground incursion by Israeli forces in Gaza, Hamas leaders have been pushing — sometimes publicly — for Hezbollah to widen its involvement in the war. Nasrallah met last week in Beirut with senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri and with Ziad Nakhaleh of the allied group Islamic Jihad.

    However, Hezbollah officials have avoided publicly setting a specific red line, saying vaguely that they would join the war if they see that Hamas is on the verge of defeat. Instead, Hezbollah has taken calculated steps to keep Israel’s military busy on its border with Lebanon, but not to the extent of igniting an all-out war.

    The Israeli military said seven of their soldiers and one civilian had been killed on the northern border as of Friday. More than 50 Hezbollah fighters and 10 militants with allied groups, as well as 10 civilians, including a Reuters journalist, have been killed on the Lebanese side.

    “Don’t test us,” Netanyahu warned Hezbollah on Friday. A mistake, he said, “will exact a price you can’t even imagine.”

    Israel considers the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group its most serious immediate threat, estimating that Hezbollah has around 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel, as well as drones and surface-to-air and surface-to-sea missiles.

  • Ceasefire will be like surrendering to Hamas – Israel PM

    Ceasefire will be like surrendering to Hamas – Israel PM

    Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday firmly rejected calls for a ceasefire with Hamas, as Israeli troops continued to expand operations on the ground.

    “Just as the United States will not agree to a ceasefire after the bombing of Pearl Harbor or after the terrorist attack of 9/11.

    “Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities with Hamas after the horrific attacks of Oct. 7.

    “Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism. That will not happen.

    “The Bible says that there is a time for peace and a time for war.

    “This is a time for war, a war for a common future,” Netanyahu told journalists.

    He called on all civilised nations to stand with Israel in demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages and in drawing a line between the forces of civilisation and the forces barbarism.

    “It is a time for everyone to decide where they stand,” Netanyahu said.

    Earlier on Monday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said a female Israeli soldier taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, was freed during the deployment of ground forces in the Gaza Strip.

    “The soldier was medically checked, is doing well, and has met with her family,” the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, in a joint statement.

    Israel’s army heralded a new phase in the war against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, at the weekend.

    In addition to massive airstrikes, Israeli ground forces advanced deeper into the territory.

    Terrorists from Hamas carried out a massacre of civilians in Israel on Oct. 7.

    More than 1,400 people were killed in the massacre and in the following days.

    At least 239 others were abducted to the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli army, which believes most of the hostages to still be alive.

    Another 40 people are still missing since the terrorist attacks.

    According to Israeli sources, citizens of more than 40 countries are among those killed and missing.

    According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza, 8,306 Palestinians had been killed by Monday in retaliatory airstrikes by Israel.

    The al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, said they had fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli units in the Zeitoun district south-east of Gaza.

    The information could not be independently verified.

    No casualties were initially reported.

    Fighting was also reported from the north-west of the coastal strip, which is only 40 kilometres long and between six and 12 kilometres wide.

    Aircraft and attack helicopters had struck targets that had been passed on to them by the ground forces, the Israeli army wrote on X.

    A building belonging to Hamas, in which more than 20 fighters were sheltering, was hit.

    In addition, anti-tank positions and other military installations were destroyed, it said.

    The IDF early on Monday said its forces struck over 600 terror targets over the last few days.

    It included weapons depots, dozens of anti-tank missile launching positions, as well as hideouts and staging grounds used by the Hamas terrorist organisation.

    Rather than a sudden large-scale ground attack, Israel’s military was apparently opting for a gradual expansion of its ground operations against Hamas.

    A total of 117 trucks with aid supplies have arrived in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war more than three weeks ago.

    Although the United Nations said it fell far short of what was needed.

    According to UN projections, at least 100 truckloads are actually needed every day to supply the 2.2 million people who live in the Gaza Strip with basic necessities.

    UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said before the war began an average of 500 trucks entered the territory every day during the week.

    Meanwhile UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, was to be allowed to enter the territory more than three weeks after the start of the conflict there, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday.

    Read Also: Hamas confirms clash with Israeli forces in northern Gaza

    Israel had announced last week that it would deny entry to UN representatives as it had done in the past following statements critical of Israel by UN Secretary General, António Guterres.

    Israel is temporarily freezing millions in payments to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank over alleged support for the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7.

    Israel collects taxes and customs duties on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.

    At last count, some 160 million dollars was being forwarded to the authority each month.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • Israel launches expanded ground operation in Gaza

    Israel launches expanded ground operation in Gaza

    • FG calls for truce

    Israel has launched an expanded ground operation in the Gaza Strip after creating a near-blackout of communication in the area. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a war for Israel’s existence.

    After creating a near-blackout of communication in the Gaza Strip with increased bombardment and artillery fire overnight, Israel launched an expanded ground operation yesterday.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to it as a battle for Israel’s survival, declaring, “Never again is now.”

    Gaza residents described the massive bombardment from land, air, and sea as the most intense of the three-week-long Israel-Hamas conflict.

    Other countries, United Nations officials, and aid organizations described a dire situation in Gaza, where 2.3 million people are cut off from the outside world.

    According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, the Palestinian death toll has surpassed 7,700, with women and children accounting for the majority of the fatalities. In the occupied West Bank, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids.

    The Israeli government reports that more than 1,400 people were killed in Israel during a surprise incursion by Hamas militants, including at least 310 soldiers. At least 229 hostages were taken into Gaza, and four have since been released.

    Read Also: Hamas confirms clash with Israeli forces in northern Gaza

    Meanwhile, the Federal Government has reiterated its call for an immediate durable and sustained humanitarian truce between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza.

    The Nigerian government also called for the opening of a humanitarian corridor, saying that the situation in Gaza is dire and requires immediate attention as a result of the recent uptick in violence.

    Women, children, and other vulnerable groups, the government said, are among innocent civilians that have suffered greatly as a result of the consequences of the crisis between Hamas and Israel.

    In a statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria urged all the parties in the conflict to uphold the fundamental values of human rights and international humanitarian law, which places a premium on ensuring civilians’ safety and well-being even in times of conflict.

    The statement reads:

    “The Federal Government of Nigeria is calling on the Israeli Government to grant humanitarian access to the millions of people that have been displaced since the crisis broke. The lack of water, food, medical supplies and fuel shortages has compounded the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

    “The Federal Government of Nigeria also calls on all parties involved to immediately agree to a ceasefire and engage in diplomatic negotiations to resolve the conflict.

    Both parties are urged to exercise utmost restraint and prioritize the safety and well-being of civilians. “Indiscriminate attacks that result in civilian casualties must be avoided at all costs.

  • Israel/Gaza War: Palestinian envoy,coalition call for ceasefire

    Israel/Gaza War: Palestinian envoy,coalition call for ceasefire

    • 1.4m displaced, over 181,000 housing units damaged

    The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullah Shawesh and the Justice for Palestinians Coalition (JUPAC), have called on the international community to intensify their support to bring an end to the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza which has led to the death of many and destruction of properties. 

    Speaking at a press conference in Abuja yesterday, Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Shawesh lamented that over 1.4 million have been displaced in the Gaza strip, while more than 181,000 housing units were damaged by the aggression, including more than 27,781 units completely destroyed. 

     Shawesh said the total number of martyrs since October 7th, reached more than 6,504 Palestinian, 70 percent are children, women and elderly, while 1,800 civilians sustained various levels of injuries.

     He noted that in the occupied west bank reached 104 and 900 sustained various levels of injuries. 

    He however noted that the death toll among Palestinian journalists reached 20.

     The envoy further condemned the campaign he described as a brazen and unjustified campaign against the United Nations Secretary-general, Antonio Guterres for speaking about what is happening in Gaza.

     ”73 of the health workers were killed, while 100 injured. 12 hospitals and 32 health centres were out of service due to direct attacks or running out of fuel, while 25 ambulances became out of service due the Israeli attacks’’, Shawesh added.

    Read Also: The Israeli-Palestinian crisis

    Also, Justice for Palestinians Coalition (JUPAC), lamented that the call for ceasefire has fallen on deaf ears.

    Executive Director of the Coalition, Lambo Moshood, who made this known said social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and X have all been shadow-banning information on the happenings in Palestine.

    Moshood called on the Arab League, African Union and all other regional bodies with a history of colonialism to intensify their support for the Palestinian struggle.

    ‘He noted that the international community led by the UN must retrieve the peace process from the monopoly of the United States.

    ‘’We urge all the Arab nations to put on hold all talks and plans about normalisation with Israel until the State of Palestine is achieved on the pre 1967 border lines’’.

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  • 2023 UN Day: Foundation calls for lasting peace in Israel, Palestine

    2023 UN Day: Foundation calls for lasting peace in Israel, Palestine

    On the occasion of United Nations Day 2023, Martins & Eno Acha Foundation, an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting peace, harmony, and humanitarian efforts worldwide, is issuing a heartfelt appeal for peace in the conflict-stricken regions of Israel and Palestine.

    As the world unites to celebrate the principles of unity and cooperation on this significant day, the Foundation emphasizes the urgent need for dialogue, understanding, and compassion to pave the way for lasting peace in the Middle East.

    The ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine has caused immense suffering for the people living in the region, leading to loss of lives, displacement, and widespread despair.

    Read Also: Tinubu will change things for the better, Edun tells ministry staff

    A statement by the Co-founder/president of Martins & Eno Acha Foundation, Amb Martins Aifuwa Acha, said: “As a UN ambassador for peace, I believe it is of paramount importance for all parties involved to come together, engage in sincere dialogue, and work towards a peaceful resolution that ensures the rights, dignity, and security of all individuals in the region.

    “We believe that peace is achievable through understanding, empathy, and respect for the rights and beliefs of all individuals, regardless of their background or nationality,” said Enosadeba Acha, the co-founder of the foundation. On this United Nations Day, we urge leaders and citizens alike to come together, embrace the spirit of cooperation, and work towards a peaceful future for the people of Israel and Palestine.”

    Martins & Eno Acha Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to promoting peace, social harmony, and humanitarian efforts worldwide.

    The foundation focuses on fostering dialogue, providing humanitarian aid, and supporting educational programs to build a more peaceful and compassionate world.

    The foundation hereby reaffirms her commitment to supporting initiatives that promote dialogue, education, and humanitarian assistance in conflict-affected areas. By fostering understanding and promoting peaceful coexistence, Martins & Eno Acha Foundation aim to contribute to the collective efforts towards achieving a just and lasting peace in the region.

  • Israel deploys weapons capable of melting skin, alleges Palestinian govt

    Israel deploys weapons capable of melting skin, alleges Palestinian govt

    The Palestinian authorities have raised the alarm that Israelis have deployed weapon capable of melting the skin in their attacks on Gaza.

    Palestine Embassy in Abuja, in a statement yesterday on the account of the ongoing airstrike on Gaza Strip, said those wounded now needed special treatment outside the city.

    In the statement, they also alleged that the Israeli forces executed 91 Palestinian since October 7th, many of them children.

    It, therefore, challenged the media on the need to be neutral and present the facts as it were.

    No fewer than 5,791 people, including 2360 children, 1,421 women and 217 aged have been killed in Gaza since October 7 Israeli airstrike, Palestine authorities also said.

    According to the embassy ,16,297 persons sustained various level of injuries as at October 24.

    Given breakdown, the embassy said 68 health workers have been killed and 100 injured.

    It also noted that 12 hospitals and 32 health centres were out of service due to direct attacks or running out of fuel.

    It added that 25 ambulances have been put out of services due to the Israeli attacks.

    Surgical operations were performed without anesthesia and using the light of telephones, and the wounded were treated in the corridors and on the floors as a result of power cut.

    The Palestinian authorities also said that no fewer than  1.4 million persons have been internally displaced since the hostility started.

    Read Also: Tinubu will present 2024 Budget to NASS in November – Senator Adeola

    The embassy noted that 685,000 are taking refuge with other families, 565,000 displaced are in 148 schools affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees, 101,000 in mosques, churches and public places, and 70,000 in 67 schools.

    More than 181,000 housing units were damaged, including more than 20,000 units completely destroyed.

    The embassy also put the  number of detained people since October 7th at 1, 215, bringing the total number for 2023 to 6,500.

    Also, hospitals in Gaza are stopping services as fuel runs out, The Nation learnt. The hospitals according to information will only be attending to emergency services.

    This is as BBC reported that the UN’s work would also stop last night if it doesn’t get fresh supplies.

    Israel is stopping new fuel supplies reaching Gaza, while accusing Hamas of stockpiling hundreds of thousands of litres.

    Though another eight aid lorries carrying food, water and medicine crossed from Egypt into Gaza Tuesday night, according to BBC report.

    But, the UN agencies said at least 100 lorries a day are needed.

    The Hamas-run government in Gaza said 80 people were killed by overnight Israeli air strikes

    Israel said it targeted Hamas infrastructure – including roadblocks allegedly set up to stop civilians evacuating the northern Gaza Strip.

  • At least 2,360 children killed by Israel in Gaza Strip – UNICEF

    At least 2,360 children killed by Israel in Gaza Strip – UNICEF

    UNICEF has said that 2,360 children have died in Israel’s counter attacks in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas’ October 7 attacks on southern Israel.

    The aid group, which spoke of the “relentless attacks” said 5,364 children have been injured.

    Since the surprise Hamas attacks on October 7, Israel’s army have been bombing targets in the Gaza Strip and preparing a ground offensive in the sealed-off coastal area.

    “`The situation in the Gaza Strip is a growing stain on our collective conscience. The rate of death and injuries of children simply staggering,” said Adele Khodr, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

    Read Also: Israel renews bombing of Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip

    He said the Gaza Strip is suffering from acute water shortages, with severe consequences for children, who make up about 50 per cent of the population.

    UNICEF urged all parties to agree to a ceasefire, provide humanitarian access and release all hostages. (dpa/NAN)