Israeli forces kill 200 in three days in Gaza, overwhelming hospitals
Israeli attacks have killed more than 200 Palestinians across Gaza over the last three days as the military continues to hit residential buildings, people gathering in the streets, marketplaces, and shelters. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said although Israel claims it is targeting Hamas fighters, most of the victims are innocent people. “We are seeing women and children making up the vast majority of casualties,” he said. Hospitals are overwhelmed by the steady stream of casualties, direct attacks on medical facilities, and severe shortages of supplies as Israel imposes a tight siege on the territory. At the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, many injured people are dying before they can be treated. Israel’s war on Gaza has now killed at least 45,805 Palestinians and wounded 109,064 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and about 250 were taken captive. Adblock test (Why?)
‘I refuse a cheap death’: Israel kills Palestinian journalist in Gaza
A Palestinian writer, poet and journalist has been killed in an Israeli air attack in northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, according to his family, taking the total number of journalists killed in the Israel-Palestine conflict since October 7, 2023 to 220. Mohammad Hijazi was among nearly 90 Palestinians slain in Israeli attacks across the besieged territory in the last 24 hours, according to a statement from the Gaza Ministry of Health on Sunday. Hundreds of people have been killed in the Jabalia camp since Israel imposed a military siege of northern Gaza on October 5 and intensified bombardment, forcing thousands to flee. Israel has prevented even aid groups from supplying basic food items to the area. “I don’t know if I will write to you again. I keep what I have written and am writing. Maybe it will come to light one day. I refuse a cheap death. I curse the murderer,” Hijazi wrote on Facebook in August last year. “Let us in this bottom that we have finally reached, arm ourselves with patience and prayer, and count the days we have lived as a historic achievement, while awaiting what is coming with a broken heart, an extinguished eye, a head held high, and a spirit that fights until the end of the road.” Advertisement It was not immediately clear whether Hijazi was working for a specific media organisation when he died. Since the beginning of its war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 220 journalists and media workers, including Hijazi. The Health Ministry reported on Sunday that at least 88 Palestinians had been killed and 208 others injured in Gaza in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, another baby died from the cold in Gaza, as displaced Palestinians lack warm clothes and are forced to live in tents that provide little protection from the weather. The child’s mother told Al Jazeera that her baby, Yousef, was born healthy, but he became the eighth infant to die in Gaza in recent days due to the cold. “They didn’t give a single moment to feel happy with my baby,” she said. “He slept next to me and in the morning I found him frozen and dead. I don’t know what to say. No one can feel my misery. No one in the world can understand our catastrophic situation.” The latest fatalities bring the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza to at least 45,805 since October 2023, while an estimated 109,064 have been injured. Among those slain in Israeli strikes across Gaza on Sunday were three Palestinians who were living in a tent in Deir el-Balah, according to Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from central Gaza. A family of 15 people was also buried under the rubble in the northwest of Gaza City, following a separate strike, Mahmoud reported. “The Palestinian Civil Defence is doing its best to remove bodies from under the rubble, but has only removed four of the family members,” he said. Advertisement “It’s estimated there are at least 15 family members under the three-storey building that was flattened to the ground. “These repeated attacks – deliberate against families – continue to unfold, causing more tragedies among Palestinians.” “I refuse to die cheaply… I curse the killer.” This morning, writer and journalist Mohamed Hijazi, the author of these words, was killed by the Israeli army in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza. #GazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/LWsCak8IPr — Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) January 5, 2025 In the last three days, Israeli forces have killed more than 200 people in Gaza, Mahmoud noted. The last few remaining hospitals across Gaza are now overwhelmed, he added. At the emergency department at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, many people were left on the floor and others were waiting to be admitted into the operating theatre, Mahmoud said. “By the time it’s their turn, it’s too late – they have already bled to death. [Many] burns are quite severe, and no pain medication is available at the hospital,” he said. “There’s a silent death going on. In the past weeks, due to the ongoing attacks, people are dying quietly because of the lack of medical supplies.” On Sunday, the Israeli military claimed that it had struck more than 100 “terror targets” in the Gaza Strip over the past two days. Several of the strikes targeted sites from which Palestinian fighters had been firing projectiles into Israel in recent days, the military said. The latest violence in Gaza comes as indirect negotiations for a captive release deal resumed in Qatar. Advertisement Mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been engaged for months in efforts to strike a deal to end the war and secure the release of dozens of captives still held in Gaza. Israel has detained more than 10,000 Palestinians since launching its devastating war, which has brought it global condemnation. Rights groups have termed Israel’s military offensive as a genocide, while the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the top United Nations court, said in March 2024 that the Israeli operation “plausibly” amounted to genocide. Seperately, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Adblock test (Why?)
Ukraine launches new offensive in Russia’s Kursk as war casualties mount
Ukrainian forces have been launching counteroffensives in Kursk in an effort to hold on to seized territory. The Ukrainian military has launched a new offensive in the Kursk region of Russia as Moscow’s forces continue to push deep inside eastern Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed in a statement on Sunday that Ukrainian forces launched new attacks amid their incursion into Russia that began with a surprise assault in August. Andriy Kovalenko, a senior official with Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, appeared to confirm the operation in a Telegram post. “In the Kursk region the Russians are deeply concerned. They were attacked on multiple fronts, which came as a surprise to them,” he said. Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, suggested the attack had been successful. “Kursk region, good news, Russia is getting what it deserves,” he wrote on Sunday. The Russian Defence Ministry said a Ukrainian counterattack began on Sunday morning which included two tanks, a barrier vehicle, and 12 armoured combat vehicles with soldiers who were heading to the Russian settlement of Berdin. Advertisement Most of them were destroyed, according to the ministry, which also released aerial footage of what it said was an explosives-laden drone taking out a self-propelled artillery unit of the Ukrainian armed forces in Kursk. The ministry said its soldiers killed 340 members of the Ukrainian armed forces over the past day. The Russian military claims that Ukraine has lost more than 49,000 servicemen in Kursk since the start of its offensive in August, along with 273 tanks, 44 rocket launch systems, and hundreds of other vehicles and munitions. Ukraine claims Russia lost 430,000 soldiers in 2024, and that North Korean soldiers brought to Kursk have recently taken heavy casualties on the front lines of the Russian territory. Russian forces have been gradually pushing back Ukrainian soldiers out of seized areas in Kursk, but they have not been able to fully repel the offensive. Zelenskyy has said territory held in Kursk could play a considerable role in future “peace” talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is ready for talks but also remains prepared to carry on with the war for much longer. Russian forces continue to push deep inside Ukrainian territory as well, having gradually taken over significant areas in the eastern part of the country. Advancing at an accelerating rate in recent months, they are continuing with an attempt to take the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk oblast. Moscow promised retaliation on Saturday after the Ukrainian military used more ATACMS missiles provided to it by the United States. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
BPSC protest: Patna Police detains Prashant Kishor, vacates Gandhi Maidan
Patna Police has vacated the place at Gandhi Maidan where Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor was sitting on a fast-unto-death with the protestors.
Biden takes departing jab at Trump, says he was a ‘genuine threat to democracy’
President Biden took a departing jab at Trump, saying that what the president-elect did was a “genuine threat to democracy.” Ahead of the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, Biden was asked if he still thought Trump was a threat to democracy. “We’ve got to get back to establishing basic democratic norms,” Biden told reporters in the White House East Room on Sunday. “I think what he did was a genuine threat to democracy. I’m hopeful that we are beyond that.” Biden made the comments to the press after signing the Social Security Fairness Act. Biden also discussed his plans to visit New Orleans on Monday to grieve with family members of victims and meet with officials after the terrorist attack in the city on New Year’s Day. BIDEN ADMIN RIPPED AFTER JUDGE UPHOLDS PLEA DEALS FOR ALLEGED 9/11 MASTERMINDS: ‘KICK IN THE GUT’ “I’ve been there. There’s nothing you can really say to somebody who has had such a tragic loss. And my message is going to be personal to them,” he said. “They just have to hang on to each other and there will come a day when they think of their loved one, and they’ll smile before a tear comes to their eye.” DID BIDEN DO ENOUGH ON TERROR? The visit comes after 14 people were killed and dozens injured after police said 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar rammed a rented pickup truck into pedestrians on bustling Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning. Police fatally shot Jabbar after he opened fire on officers. “We established beyond any reasonable doubt that New Orleans was a single man who acted alone. All the talk about conspiracies with other people, no evidence of that, zero,” Biden said. “He had real problems in terms of his own, I think, mental health, going on. And he acted alone in the same way as what went on in Las Vegas,” Biden said. “But there is no evidence, zero evidence of the idea that these are foreigners coming across the border, but they worked here, they remained here.”
How can world powers stop Israel from attacking Gaza’s medical facilities?
The United Nations says the health system in Gaza is on the verge of total collapse amid relentless Israeli attacks. The United Nations says only 16 of the 36 hospitals in Gaza are functional, and even those are only able to offer partial services. The UN has verified more than 650 Israeli attacks on medical facilities since the Israel-Palestine conflict began in October 2023, and at least 1,054 health workers have been killed. Israel says Hamas fighters are operating from hospitals, but provides little evidence to substantiate its claims. Is it possible to prevent the collapse of Gaza’s health system? Presenter: Imran Khan Guests: Mohammed Abu Mughaisib – Deputy medical coordinator for Gaza for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Michael Lynk – Human rights lawyer and former UN special rapporteur for human rights in occupied Palestinian territories Mohammed Adeel Khaleel – Orthopaedic surgeon who recently returned from Gaza Adblock test (Why?)
Egyptian activist al-Qaradawi’s family appeal to Lebanese PM for release
Al-Qaradawi’s family seeks Lebanese PM’s intervention to prevent his deportation to Egypt, fearing risks to his life. The family of Egyptian opposition activist Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi has called on Lebanese authorities to immediately release him, as fears grow that he will be deported to Egypt, where he is wanted by the law. Al-Qaradawi’s family members issued a press release on Sunday saying that they had sent a letter to Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati asking him to intervene in the case of the Egyptian poet and writer, who is also a Turkish citizen and lives with his family in Istanbul. “As a family, we trust in the wisdom of the Lebanese leadership and the dignified people of Lebanon,” the press release said. “Lebanon has always been a symbol of the defence of freedoms, and we appeal to the Lebanese prime minister, in the name of justice and humanity, to intervene immediately to release him and ensure his safe return to his family and three daughters who are waiting for him in Istanbul.” Al-Qaradawi, the son of the late spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Yusuf al-Qaradawi, was arrested on December 28 due to an Egyptian arrest warrant, a Lebanese judicial official quoted by the AFP news agency and the family said. He was detained at the Masnaa border crossing after he entered Lebanon from Syria. Advertisement Al-Qaradawi had been sentenced by an Egyptian court in absentia to five years in prison on charges of “opposing the state and inciting terrorism”, the official said. The family said the ruling was a response to an article published by al-Qaradawi in 2012, and warned that Lebanon would be endangering al-Qaradawi’s life if it extradited him to Egypt. “His extradition to any country that demands him endangers his life, especially considering the record of human rights violations in those countries,” the press release issued on behalf of al-Qaradawi’s family said. Al-Qaradawi’s lawyer in Lebanon, Mohammed Sablouh, had previously said that his client could be tortured if he was handed over to Egypt, which is accused by human rights organisations such as Amnesty International of repressing political dissidents and committing crimes including torture “with impunity”. Al-Qaradawi’s family’s letter is part of a campaign urging his release and return to Turkey. The 53-year-old was a longtime opponent of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who was overthrown in the country’s 2011 revolution. The activist has also become a vocal critic of Egypt’s current leader, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who came to power after a bloody coup in 2013 against elected President Mohamed Morsi, who later died in prison. Adblock test (Why?)
Fernandes and Amorim upset with United after impressive draw at Liverpool
Frustrated footballer Bruno Fernandes said if Manchester United can perform at Anfield, they must “do it everywhere” after the crisis-hit side secured a 2-2 draw against Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday. Cody Gakpo cancelled out Lisandro Martinez’s shock opener for United on Sunday before Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead from the penalty spot, but Amad Diallo scored a late equaliser. United finished the match the stronger, and defender Harry Maguire spurned a last-kick chance to win the game by firing over the bar from Joshua Zirkzee’s squared pass. The point for Liverpool takes them six clear of second-placed Arsenal with a game in hand. United are way down in 13th place, but at least they have ended their four-game losing run. “We have been criticised, and fairly,” United captain Fernandes told Sky Sports. “Our position in the table says it all. We have lost too many points. Even today, we can’t be happy with a point. We need the points and we could’ve won the game at the end, but it’s a fair result. Both teams played good football. Advertisement “I’m pretty upset. If we show this level at Liverpool, first in the league, why can’t we do this everywhere? It frustrates me. Also, finally I did a proper performance. We said we need much more from ourselves to get more from this season.” Harry Maguire missed the chance to win the match for Manchester United in the final minutes of Sunday’s game [Carl Recine/Getty Images] The midfielder said next week’s FA Cup tie at Arsenal would be tough for the holders but “we want to get to the final again”. “We know how tough it is to play against Liverpool,” he said. “Today, we put in a real effort to the game. Playing with some passion and heart is what is going to give you something from the game. You have to put in effort and that’s why we took something from today. “It can’t stop here. We have to bring this frustration to the next game to understand this has to be the level. If we can do it at Anfield, we have to do it everywhere.” 👆 @LFC are six points clear of Arsenal after today’s draw with Man Utd! #LIVMUN | #FestiveFixtures pic.twitter.com/uTOw1Tq3Si — Premier League (@premierleague) January 5, 2025 Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk said it could have been worse for his team if Maguire had converted a late chance. “I’m definitely disappointed with dropping points at home but it is what is and we have to move on and we will,” he said. “We found the 2-1 and then it is about trying to manage the game and keep the ball for longer than three and four passes. We lost the ball too easily at times and then we were more open than we should have been. We’re not perfect. We’re still learning and we have to learn from this as well.” Advertisement The defender said Liverpool had not underestimated United, despite their rivals’ troubles this season. “That’s all the media, media talk,” he said. “It’s nothing to do with us. We prepared for a very tough game like we have seen today. We didn’t think any of that.” Manchester United’s Matthijs de Ligt concedes a penalty ahead of Liverpool’s second goal [Phil Noble/Reuters] United manager Ruben Amorim has endured a wretched start to his time in charge at Old Trafford, with the club slipping to six defeats in September, culminating in the four-match losing streak. “We are in a difficult moment,” Amorim told Sky Sports. “If you play against Liverpool every day, we will recover positions like that. But if you play against any opponent, we will need to do it. We have proven we can do it. The way we were really competitive – that is what we must be going forward. “It’s not just the players, all the staff in the club. I’m happy for the performance, not for the results. But I’m really mad for the other games,” Amorim continued after United slipped to that fourth straight defeat, and sixth in the month of December, against Newcastle on Monday. A look at @ManUtd‘s average positions from their two latest matches 🔎 What stands out to you? 📊 @Oracle | #LIVMUN pic.twitter.com/UG07jqgHCo — Premier League (@premierleague) January 5, 2025 “Of course, we are going to improve in training, but it is the way we faced the game, not from the training,” he continued. “You can ask any fan – the way we fight, the way we kick, the way we fight for the ball. It’s so clear. Advertisement “Today I feel the players really wanted it. The important thing is not to relax tomorrow and return to the same performances. I will do everything to make the players understand, they have to suffer in a game. I am really trying on the basics and we have to move on. “Congratulations on the performance, but not the result. Everyone will say the players did everything right, so I am allowed to be upset [with them for the other results] today.” Amad Diallo impressed once again for Manchester United and scored his side’s second goal [Carl Recine/Getty Images] Adblock test (Why?)
Musk renews harsh rebuke of Dems who rejected deporting sex offenders: Vote out ‘every one’
Tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk renewed criticism of the more than 150 House Democrats who voted against deporting illegal immigrants convicted of sex offenses, demanding each of the lawmakers be voted out of office. “There is no excuse. Please post the list of people who opposed this law and want to keep illegals who are convicted sex offenders in America,” Musk posted to his X account on Saturday referencing a September House vote. “They all need to be voted out of office. Every one of them.” The Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act passed the House in September, after all 215 present Republicans voted in favor of the bill, and were joined by 51 Democratic colleagues. A total of 158 Democrats, however, voted against the bill. 158 DEMS VOTE AGAINST BILL TO DEPORT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO COMMIT SEX CRIMES The Democrats who voted against the bill came under scrutiny in September, and are facing renewed criticism on social media this month as commenters resurrect the vote ahead of President-elect Trump taking office this month. “The bill targeted rapists, pedophiles, domestic abusers, and stalkers, ensuring they couldn’t stay in the U.S. Opponents claimed it ‘demonized immigrants,’ but how does protecting convicted predators help anyone – especially their victims?” X show host Mario Nawfal posted to his account Saturday, sparking Musk to weigh in. “Deporting violent offenders isn’t ‘fearmongering’ – it’s basic public safety. Why would anyone vote to keep criminals who prey on women and children?” Nawfal added. EX-BORDER CHIEF WARNS OF ‘SIGNIFICANT THREAT’ AS MIGRANT NUMBERS SKYROCKET: ‘ENTIRE SECTORS’ MISSING AGENTS The legislation would deport illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes, and would also deem illegal immigrants who admit to domestic violence or sex-related charges – or are convicted of them – to be inadmissible in the U.S., Fox Digital previously reported. The legislation is currently with the Senate, and was referred to the Judiciary Committee. Notable Democrats who voted against the legislation included Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., former California Rep. Adam Schiff, who now serves in the Senate, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Musk’s call for the Democrats to be voted out of Congress over the vote comes after he vowed in December to fund moderate Democratic politicians in deep blue districts, “so that the country can get rid of those who don’t represent them.” CLYBURN BRUSHES OFF MUSK’S PLAN TO FUND MODERATES IN DEMOCRATIC DISTRICTS Musk is also slated to serve alongside Vivek Ramaswamy to lead an upcoming presidential advisory committee, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which will work to cut excessive government spending and slash the size of the government under Trump’s second administration. According to the office of the House clerk, the 158 Democrats who voted against the legislation are: The Democrats who voted against the legislation came under fierce scrutiny in September from conservatives. “If you vote against it, you’re sexist against women,” South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace, who introduced the legislation, said in September to Fox Digital. ELON MUSK AGREES WITH RON PAUL’S CALL TO ‘ELIMINATE FOREIGN AID’ “I mean, truly, because we’re talking about illegals who are here who are committing domestic violence, rape and murder on women and children – they’ve gotta go. They shouldn’t be allowed into our country.” “158 Democrats just voted AGAINST deporting migrants for s*x offenses. This is a slap in the face to every victim and their family members. Democrats hate you and your children,” popular conservative X account Libs of TikTok posted at the time. Democrats who voted against the bill characterized it as xenophobic and an example of “fearmongering” against immigrants. “Here we are again, debating another partisan bill that fear mongers about immigrants, instead of working together to fix the immigration system,” Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said during debate on the bill. “I probably shouldn’t be too surprised. Scapegoating immigrants and attempting to weaponize the crime of domestic violence is appearing to be a time-honored tradition for Republicans.” Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Top GOP senators call for reform, ‘consequences’ in wake of law enforcement ‘leadership failure’
Top GOP senators criticized recent law enforcement failures by the FBI and other groups Sunday, calling on President-elect Trump’s administration to enact reforms. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Americans have lost trust in the FBI. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., also told “Fox News Sunday” that there need to be “consequences” for law enforcement failures that allowed incidents like last week’s terrorist attack in New Orleans. “The FBI is an agency that I think is in need of reform, and it needs a good makeover, so to speak, and probably a good amount of housecleaning when it comes to the perception the American people have of it and these institutions that the American people need to have confidence and trust in,” Thune said Sunday. He added that Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, “understands the mission.” WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK Meanwhile, Cassidy reacted to news that New Orleans police had access to 48 barriers that could have prevented last week’s deadly truck attack. The permanent barriers blocking vehicle access to Bourbon Street were being replaced at the time of the attack, but authorities in the city could have deployed archer barriers that are rated to stop a 5,500-pound vehicle going 60 miles-per-hour. SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AS FBI INVESTIGATES ACT OF TERRORISM AFTER BOURBON STREET ATTACK “There has to be leadership at the top. And if the leadership failed, as you describe it, then absolutely there has to be consequences. Period. End of story,” Cassidy said. “Now, I think we’re going to have a kind of complete review of everything from top to bottom. And if that’s the way it ends up shaking out completely, she should be replaced,” he added, referencing New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. Thune and Cassidy’s statements come days after Trump’s allies excoriated the FBI for its initial characterization of the truck attack as not terror-related, before the nation’s top federal law enforcement agency backtracked and launched a terrorism investigation allegedly connected to ISIS. OFFICIALS POSTPONE SUGAR BOWL IN THE WAKE OF TERROR ATTACK ON BOURBON STREET “The FBI has a no-fail mission. There is no room for error. When they fail, Americans die. It’s a necessity that Kash Patel gets confirmed ASAP,” a source close to Trump told Fox News Digital on Thursday morning. Patel is one of many incoming Trump cabinet nominees who will need to go through Senate confirmation after Trump is inaugurated later this month. Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.