Britain, Canada and Australia have made an announcement of their official recognition of Palestine as an independent state and this has rocked the world politics and evoked serious feelings among people on both sides.
The grating of tank tracks on the pavements rings through Gaza City. Every strike brings dust and above all, a voice in the sky–leaflets drifting down–proclaims to civil people to run away. Israel has also opened a new evacuation route to Gaza City, a 48-hour movement of people to move south along Salahudin Road. For many, it is a lifeline. It is a sad decision between the unknown and the unbearable to other people.
Unity prevailed in the General Assembly hall in the United Nations this week in a rare feeling. In the tallying of the votes, unanimous support of a resolution that advocated a Palestinian state was recorded in 142 countries.
In a spacious hall in New Delhi, pens glided over paper and hands were tightly clasped as India and Israel celebrated a new phase in their economic narrative. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Israeli counterpart Bezalel Smotrich moved closer to sign the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) — an agreement designed to encourage companies on both sides to explore opportunities beyond their borders.
Israeli troops cautioned residents of Gaza City on Saturday to head south before targeting a high-rise building, as the military advanced further into areas of the city.
Israel has said it will begin moving Palestinians from Gaza City to the south of the territory starting Sunday, in what it describes as an evacuation from “combat zones.” The announcement was made by the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, who said tents and shelters would be provided with help from the United Nations and aid groups. However, the UN has not confirmed its role in the plan.
In Gaza, hunger is no longer a fear, it is a daily reality. Hospitals are running out of basic medicines. Parents are skipping meals so their children can eat. And now, over 100 humanitarian organisations are warning that new Israeli rules are making it almost impossible to deliver the food and medicine that could save lives.
The Syrian government has begun withdrawing its military forces from the southern city of Suwayda following several days of intense and deadly clashes between Druze fighters and government troops.
