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Israel-Hamas war: Gaza’s hospitals overwhelmed, says WHO
Published 9 hours agoPublished 9 hours agolast updated 4 hours agolast updated 4 hours ago
The UN health agency said Gaza’s remaining hospitals can’t cope with the growing number of wounded people in the war between Israel and Hamas militants. This as the region teeters towards a major escalation. DW has more.
https://p.dw.com/p/4bOnb
A Palestinian wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip arrives at a hospital in Rafah
Hundreds of injured people arrive at Gaza’s remaining hospitals every dayImage: Fatima Shbair/AP/picture alliance
Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
Israel must let displaced Gazans return, Jordan says
Gaza’s hospitals can’t cope with the estimated 60,000 wounded
Pakistan hits ‘terrorist hideouts’ in Iran
US attacks Houthi positions in Yemen
Skip next section EU lawmakers call for permanent Gaza cease-fire under two conditions
4 hours ago4 hours ago
EU lawmakers call for permanent Gaza cease-fire under two conditions
The European Parliament has called for a permanent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the restart of efforts for a political solution, but only if hostages held in the besieged Palestinian enclave are released and Hamas is dismantled.
Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by the EU, Germany and others.
In a resolution, European Parliament lawmakers reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself but condemned its disproportionate military response in Gaza.
They underlined the urgent need for full humanitarian access to and throughout the entire Gaza Strip.
EU lawmakers also called for an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories and stressed that Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, are illegal under international law.
The resolution was backed by 312 lawmakers, with 131 voting against and 72 abstaining. It will be forwarded to other EU institutions, EU member states, the Israeli government, Palestinian bodies, Egypt and the United Nations.
European Parliament resolutions have no binding power but are designed to signal the view of Europeans and have sometimes triggered stern foreign reactions.
In October, lawmakers condemned Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, while also calling for a “humanitarian pause.”
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Skip next section Israel must let displaced Gazans return, Jordan says
6 hours ago6 hours ago
Israel must let displaced Gazans return, Jordan says
Israel should allow displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said at a joint press conference with Turkey’s counterpart Hakan Fidan in Amman.
According to Safadi, it was essential to end the war in Gaza and avert an escalation of violence in the wider region.
“With regard to the current priorities, they are clear: ending the aggression in Gaza, letting in sufficient permanent humanitarian aid to all parts of the Strip, south and north, stopping the destruction, and working immediately for the return of displaced Gazans to their areas and homes,” Safadi said.
Over two million people have been displaced by war, according to the United Nations. Some prominent Israeli politicians have questioned whether Gaza’s population should be allowed to return home.
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Skip next section Israel ‘praying’ medicines will reach hostages, Herzog says
7 hours ago7 hours ago
Israel ‘praying’ medicines will reach hostages, Herzog says
Israel is “praying” an emergency shipment of medicine brought to the Gaza border through Egypt will reach hostages held by Hamas in the besieged Palestinian enclave, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial, also repeated his government’s stand that Hamas should not be able to rule and function as a military force in the Gaza Strip after the war. The group is listed as a terrorist organization by the EU, Germany and others.
While saying he was not shying away from the “human tragedy” inflicted on Gaza civilians, Herzog cast the Israeli offensive as a step towards more peaceful relations with the Palestinians in the future, and as bolstering global security.
Herzog called on world powers to help in Gaza once the war has concluded, and said that before the Hamas attack, Israel had been on a path to establishing relations with Saudi Arabia after doing so in 2020 with Gulf neighbors United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
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Skip next section Crew of ship attacked in Gulf of Aden safe, Indian Navy says
7 hours ago7 hours ago
Crew of ship attacked in Gulf of Aden safe, Indian Navy says
The Indian Navy said on Thursday it had rescued the crew of a US-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden after an attack by Yemen’s Houthis.
It said a distress call from MV Genco Picardy was issued late on Wednesday and the navy diverted a warship to the rescue of 22 crew on board, including nine Indians.
The Houthi movement said its missiles had made a “direct hit” on the bulk carrier.
Shipping operator Genco confirmed the attack, and said its vessel was hit by a projectile while it was transiting through the Gulf of Aden with a cargo of phosphate rock.
The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and have threatened to expand their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
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Skip next section Maersk says Red Sea disruption and weather cause congestion
8 hours ago8 hours ago
Maersk says Red Sea disruption and weather cause congestion
Weather disruptions at ports in northern Europe and ships being diverted from the Red Sea are causing container terminal congestion, shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk said.
Maersk and other shipping groups have diverted vessels away from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden following attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, sending them on a long journey around Africa rather than through the Suez Canal shortcut.
In northern Europe, winter storms and the effects of the recent holiday season have led to terminal closures and navigation stoppages, the company said.
The company encouraged customers to prepare for continued complications in the area and for and significant disruptions to the global network.
Maersk said it also offers customers the option to shift some cargo from vessels to air freight at ports in Oman and the United Arab Emirates to fly goods to final destinations in Europe or the United States.
Escalating situation in the Red Sea
02:22
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Skip next section WATCH: Herzog speaks at the World Economic Forum
9 hours ago9 hours ago
WATCH: Herzog speaks at the World Economic Forum
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks at the World Economic Forum, watch it here:
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Skip next section Wounded people overwhelm Gaza’s remaining hospitals, WHO says
10 hours ago10 hours ago
Wounded people overwhelm Gaza’s remaining hospitals, WHO says
Gaza’s remaining hospitals can’t cope with the number of wounded people, a World Health Organization (WHO) emergency health expert said.
The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza estimates that more than 60,000 people have been wounded since the war began, with hundreds more injured per day.
“Literally five or six doctors or nurses” are seeing hundreds of patients a day, Emergency Medical Team coordinator Sean Casey said.
There were “so many patients on the floor you could barely move without stepping on somebody’s hands or feet,” Casey, who recently spent five weeks in the war-torn Palestinian territory, added.
Al-Shifa Hospital, once Gaza’s leading hospital with 700 beds, has been reduced to treating only emergency trauma victims and is filled with thousands of people who have fled their homes and are now living in operating rooms, corridors, and stairs, he said.
Gaza historically had a robust health system with 36 hospitals, 25,000 health workers, and many specialists, Casey said, but 85% of the territory’s 2.3 million people are now displaced, and that includes health workers, doctors, nurses, surgeons, and administrative staff.
According to the WHO only 15 of 36 hospitals are functioning, and all of these only partially functioning.
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Skip next section Pakistan hits ‘terrorist hideouts’ in Iran
10 hours ago10 hours ago
Pakistan hits ‘terrorist hideouts’ in Iran
Pakistan said it has launched retaliatory missile strikes on insurgent groups in Iran.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said “a number of terrorists were killed in the Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran.”
It comes two days after Tehran attacked “terrorist targets” inside the South Asian country.
The attacks also raised the threat of violence spreading in a Middle East unsettled by Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
https://p.dw.com/p/4bOop
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Skip next section US attacks Houthi positions in Yemen designate group a ‘terrorist’ entity
10 hours ago10 hours ago
US attacks Houthi positions in Yemen designate group a ‘terrorist’ entity
The US military said its forces struck 14 missile sites in Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Houthi missiles presented an “imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region.”
The sites were struck by Tomahawk missiles fired from US Navy vessels.
The Houthis, who control large swathes of Yemen, have launched attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea since November.
The militants have said their attacks on shipping are aimed at supporting the Palestinians in Israel’s war in Gaza, which began after Hamas carried out a surprise attack on Israel.
Meanwhile, the US added the Houthis to its list of terrorist groups.
The designation will lead to stringent financial sanctions on the Iran-backed militant group.
US officials said the move was aimed at cutting off their funding and weapons.
