Day: August 16, 2024

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said, citing officials, that "the Doha talks were positive, but there is no breakthrough at present." She added, "We presented proposals regarding the Philadelphi Corridor and the return of Gaza residents to the north without achieving a breakthrough." She pointed out that "Netanyahu held political consultations on how to pass the 'hostage' deal within the coalition." In the same context, the White House said that President Biden had two separate calls with the Emir of Qatar and the Egyptian President regarding the Doha talks. He pointed out that the call discussed the significant progress made in the Doha talks on a ceasefire and the release of the "hostages." Source: Maan News Agency

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday of the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with the spread of the polio virus threatening hundreds of thousands of children. He pointed out that the United Nations is preparing to launch a vital vaccination campaign against polio in Gaza for the benefit of more than 640,000 children under the age of ten, calling for a humanitarian ceasefire so that the United Nations can implement the vaccination campaign. "Let's be clear, the most effective polio vaccination is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. But in any case, a humanitarian pause for the polio vaccination campaign is imperative," he added at a press conference. The Secretary-General stressed that the vaccination campaign is an issue that transcends all divisions, 'and it is our duty to unite our ranks, to mobilize our efforts not to fight people but to fight polio, to defeat a virulent virus that, if left unchecked, will have a catastrophic impact not only on Palestinian children in Gaza, but also in neighboring countries and the region.' The Secretary-General said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate at a frightening rate, "just when we thought the situation could not get any worse for the Palestinians in Gaza, their suffering increases, and the world watches." He pointed out that the discovery of polio virus in sewage samples in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, during the last weeks, means that the virus has now spread, and that hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza have become vulnerable to infection. Guterres warned that polio does not care about dividing lines and does not know how to wait, stressing the need for massive, coordinated and urgent efforts to prevent and contain the spread of polio. He explained that the World Health Organization will provide 1.6 million doses of polio vaccine. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will coordinate the delivery of the vaccine doses and cold chain equipment for their storage. The Secretary-Gener al also confirmed that UNRWA medical teams, as the largest provider of primary health care in Gaza, are ready to administer vaccines and assist with logistics. The challenges facing the campaign are enormous, he said. 'Gaza's health, water and sanitation systems have collapsed. Most hospitals and primary care facilities are unable to function. People are constantly on the run for their safety. Routine vaccination campaigns have been severely disrupted by the conflict, increasing the spread of other preventable diseases such as measles and hepatitis A.' Guterres said we know how an effective polio vaccination campaign should be run, noting that given the extensive devastation in Gaza, 'at least 95 per cent vaccination coverage will be needed over a two-round campaign to prevent the spread of poliovirus and reduce the likelihood of its emergence.' According to the Secretary-General, 708 teams in hospitals and primary health care centres, many of which are barely functioning, as well as 316 community outreach teams across Gaza will participate in the vaccination efforts. The Secretary-General said that requirements for the success of the campaign include facilitating the transportation of vaccine doses and cold chain equipment at every step, the entry of polio experts into Gaza, providing fuel for health teams to be able to do their work, providing effective internet and telephone communication services to inform the population about the campaign, and increasing the amount of cash allowed into Gaza to pay health workers. The Secretary-General stressed that, above all, the success of the polio vaccination campaign requires safety: 'safety for health workers to do their jobs, safety for children and families to reach health facilities, and safety for those health facilities to be protected from bombing.' Source: Maan News Agency

The Canadian Department of International Development called for an investigation into the Israeli occupation army's destruction of a water facility funded by Canada known as "Canada's Well" in the Gaza Strip. According to Canadian media reports, the spokeswoman for the Department of International Development, Olivia Patten, said that they demanded an investigation into the destruction of the water facility in the Gaza Strip after the occupation army blew it up last July. The destruction of the facility has exacerbated the already poor water infrastructure in the area, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live, increasing the difficulties they face in obtaining clean water, Patten said. She noted that they "contacted the Israeli government to obtain more information about the incident," and said: "We call for an investigation into the matter." In late July, activists on social media circulated photos taken by occupation soldiers as they blew up a water facility in an area of ??Rafah city in the sou thern Gaza Strip, where Canada continues to provide aid. Source: Maan News Agency

The current round of negotiations has ended after 48 hours of discussions, according to a joint statement between the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the United States of America. "Over the past 48 hours in Doha, senior officials from our governments have been engaged in intensive talks as mediators with the aim of concluding an agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees," the statement said. "These talks were serious and constructive and were held in a positive atmosphere," he added. The statement added, "Earlier today in Doha, the United States of America, with the support of the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt, presented to both parties a proposal that narrows the gaps between the parties and is consistent with the principles set out by President Biden on May 31, 2024, and Security Council Resolution 2735." "This proposal builds on the points of agreement achieved over the past week, and bridges the remaining gaps in a way that allows for the rapid implementation of the agreement," he continued. He pointed out that "the technical teams will continue to work during the coming days on the implementation details, including arrangements for implementing the comprehensive humanitarian aspects of the agreement, in addition to the aspects related to hostages and detainees." "Senior officials from our governments will meet again in Cairo before the end of next week, hoping to reach an agreement on the terms set out today," he said. 'As the leaders of the three countries stated last week, 'there is no more time to waste and no excuses that can be accepted by any party to justify further delay. It is time to release the hostages and detainees, to begin the ceasefire, and to implement this agreement,'' the statement said. "Now the way is paved to achieve this outcome, save lives, provide relief to the people of Gaza, and calm regional tensions," he said. Source: Maan News Agency

The Israeli negotiating delegation will return from Doha to Tel Aviv this evening, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported. She added that the US Secretary of State will arrive in Israel next week. For its part, Israeli Channel 13 said, citing senior officials in the negotiating team: 'We have witnessed a significant reduction in the gaps between Israel and Hamas.' Source: Maan News Agency

Israeli media reported that sirens sounded in Nirim in the Gaza Strip. She pointed out that a number of rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip towards the settlement. Source: Maan News Agency

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today sent a cable of congratulations to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, HE Joko Widodo, on Indonesia's Independence Day. His Royal Highness sent a similar cable to the Vice President of Indonesia, HE Dr. Ma'ruf Amin. Source: Bahrain News Agency

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) called on Friday for a 7-day truce in the Gaza Strip, in order to vaccinate about 640,000 children against polio. In a statement on its website, the organization called on "the parties to the conflict to implement humanitarian pauses in the sector for 7 days to allow for two rounds of vaccination campaigns." She explained that "this truce will allow children and families to safely reach health facilities, and community outreach workers to also reach children who cannot reach health facilities for vaccination." Source: Maan News Agency

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates denounced the ongoing terrorist attacks on Palestinians by the Israeli settlers, the most recent of which took place yesterday in the village of Jit, east of Qalqilya, and left dozens injured as well as serious damage to Palestinian property. Ambassador Sufian Qudah, the ministry spokesperson, blamed Israel for the attack on the village of Jeit and for allowing settlers to carry out terrorist attacks. He emphasized that Israel, as the occupying power, is solely accountable for these violations and attacks because of its ongoing aggressive unilateral measures that target the Palestinian people, their lands, and their homes by evicting Palestinians from their homes and building settlements. In keeping with the dangerous escalation seen in the Palestinian territories occupied by extremist settlers since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, Ambassador Qudah reaffirmed the Kingdom's total rejection of these attacks and the escalation of settler te rrorism against the Palestinian people. In a repeat of his appeal for the international community to accept responsibility and adopt a united front against Israel's persistent transgressions of international law, Qudah called on the international community to enact punitive measures to put an end to the terrorism of racist settlers. He also called for protection for the Palestinian people, meeting his rights to a sovereign state on June 4, 1967 lines, with occupied Jerusalem as its capital. Source : National news agency - Lebanon

A woman and three children were killed on Friday in an airstrike by Israeli occupation aircraft on a tent for displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Medical sources said that "an Israeli airstrike targeted a tent for displaced people near the Doctors Without Borders Foundation west of Khan Yunis, resulting in the martyrdom of 4 citizens, including a woman and 3 children." This area is among the areas that the Israeli occupation previously claimed to classify as 'safe humanitarian,' before removing it from this classification. On Friday morning, the Israeli occupation reduced the "humanitarian zone" in the cities of Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah, asking residents of several areas to evacuate, which witnessed the displacement of hundreds of citizens. In less than one-fifth of the Gaza Strip, more than 1.7 million displaced citizens live in the Al-Mawasi area and its surroundings (west), which lacks the most basic necessities of life as a result of the ongoing Israeli war of extermination, according to the international humanitarian aid organization "Oxfam". Al-Mawasi are sandy areas along the coastline, extending from the southwest of Deir al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip, passing through the west of Khan Yunis to the west of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli occupation forces continue their aggression on the Gaza Strip by land, sea and air since October 7, 2023, which resulted in the martyrdom of 40,005 citizens and the injury of 92,401 others, while thousands of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and rescue crews cannot reach them. Source: Maan News Agency