Israeli snipers accused of attacking fleeing civilians in Gaza
Palestinians who fled Gaza City after Israeli evacuation order say snipers shot dead civilians near Yarmouk stadium. Several civilians in Gaza City say people were shot dead by snipers after the Israeli military issued a new evacuation order and told Palestinians to head south as it steps up its offensive across the enclave. The attacks reportedly took place as civilians evacuated a number of neighbourhoods in Gaza City, having been ordered to leave on Wednesday, even as mediators from Qatar, the United States and Egypt were meeting with Israeli officials in Doha for talks seeking a ceasefire. One man told Al Jazeera he was sitting near Yarmouk stadium when he saw an Israeli sniper shoot a man on a bicycle carrying canned food. “The sniper shot him directly,” he said. “We were unable to move his body. Even the paramedics were unable to access the street. They couldn’t retrieve or evacuate the body of this person.” Ambulance staff forced to turn back reportedly told the man that they had not received instructions to retrieve bodies. They had been warned that anyone approaching the deceased would be shot. A woman told Al Jazeera she wanted to pass through Yarmouk stadium but was told there were bodies of Palestinians in the streets who were shot by Israeli snipers. “We came to ask for help from the paramedics and firefighters to at least take the dead bodies so they wouldn’t remain in the street,” she said. “They need to be buried.” Multiple people said they saw a man walking in the street being shot in the head by a sniper taking aim from a tower. Several people later managed to retrieve his body. “This person was walking peacefully, and then a bullet was shot into his head. We went down and brought him here,” one man said. Reporting from the neighbourhood of Shujayea, where the Israeli military had intensified its attacks over the past two weeks, Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Al Khalili said Israeli forces left a trail of destruction after withdrawing from parts of the area. “Many residents are in shock, struggling to comprehend the scale of the devastation,” he said, adding that there are numerous civilian casualties. “Hospitals and clinics are overwhelmed with the injured, many of whom require urgent medical attention,” he reported, and thousands of residents have been displaced. The buildings still standing are structurally compromised with “significant damage to roofs, walls and foundations”, he said. Essential services such as water, electricity and sanitation have been “severely disturbed”. Israel’s army has repeatedly ordered hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to leave areas that it had previously declared were safe to return to – in both northern and southern Gaza. On Wednesday, it dropped leaflets addressed to “everyone in Gaza City” warning people to leave the “dangerous combat zone”, days after ordering evacuations of the city’s Daraj, Tuffah and Old City neighbourhoods. B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, has called Israel’s orders for Gaza City’s entire population to evacuate “absolute madness”. In a post on social media on Wednesday, it said the international community must now intervene and “demand that Israel immediately stop the war”. The talks on a ceasefire and an exchange of captives held in Gaza for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons were ongoing in Qatar’s capital on Thursday. Tamer Qarmout, an assistant professor of public policy at the Doha Institute of Graduate Studies, said he remained “quite pessimistic” about them after “previous rounds of negotiations have failed miserably”. He told Al Jazeera that these talks would be the last push by the administration of US President Joe Biden, after which the “Americans would be busy with their elections and the Gaza war will be a secondary or third priority for them”. Adblock test (Why?)
Ukraine seizes cargo ship carrying ‘looted’ grain for Russia
The Cameroonian-flagged ship is alleged to have been working for Russia to transport the Ukrainian grain to the Middle East. Ukraine has seized an international freighter it says was transporting stolen Ukrainian grain from Russian-occupied Crimea. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said on Thursday that its forces stopped the vessel in the Black Sea near Ukraine’s Odesa region, seizing it and apprehending its captain. The Cameroon-flagged vessel, Usko Mfu, had been working for Russia to export grain to the Middle East, the SBU said. It had repeatedly docked at the Crimean sea port of Sevastopol since last year to pick up several tonnes of the “looted” products, the statement said. Sevastopol is an important military hub for Russia on the Black Sea. To conceal its movements, the SBU said, the vessel regularly shut off its GPS tracker and logged false travel information. Its captain, an Azerbaijani citizen, could face up to five years in prison for violating travel restrictions governing Ukraine’s Russian-occupied territories. It is unclear if 12 other foreign crew members, who prosecutors said were also on board the vessel when it was seized, will face charges. “The investigation is ongoing to establish all the circumstances of the crime and identify other persons involved in the illegal activity,” the SBU said. Battle over resources Russian forces occupied swaths of southern Ukraine’s agricultural regions in the first year of its 2022 invasion, and Kyiv has accused Russia of stealing and destroying its grain. Ukraine also blames Russia for pulling out of a United Nations-brokered deal in 2023 that allowed Kyiv to safely transport its grain across the Black Sea, causing its food exports to plummet. Ukraine has since opened new sea routes, often hugging the coast, to bypass Russia’s de facto blockade, bringing its grain exports back to near pre-war levels. The European Union in May imposed “prohibitive” duties on grain imports from Russia in a bid to cut off revenues to Moscow for its war on Ukraine. The bloc’s trade commissioner said the measure would “tackle illegal Russian exports of stolen Ukraine grain into EU markets”. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel orders Palestinians to leave Gaza city as Doha truce talks continue
The Israeli military has ordered all Palestinians to leave Gaza City and head south, as it presses ahead with a fresh offensive across the north, south and centre of the Gaza Strip that has killed dozens of people over the past 48 hours. Leaflets dropped from the air on Wednesday urged “everyone in Gaza City” to leave and to take “safe routes” south towards Deir el-Balah and az-Zawayda. Gaza’s interior ministry has called on residents in Gaza City to refrain from following Israeli evacuation orders, saying the instructions are a part of the Israeli army’s psychological warfare against Palestinians. The United Nations said the latest evacuations “will only fuel mass suffering for Palestinian families, many of whom have been displaced many times”. “The civilians must be protected,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric. Reporting from Deir-el Balah, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said that Palestinians in Gaza City – where Israeli attacks have intensified – felt trapped and did not know where to go. “Let me also remind you that there are no civil defence teams, and there’s no Red Cross. No one is there to evacuate those Palestinians,” she said. Israel issued the first formal evacuation order for part of the city on June 27, and two more in the following days. The government says it is pursuing Hamas fighters who are regrouping in various parts of Gaza nine months into the war. The renewed ground assault started in the city’s eastern Shujayea neighbourhood, but this week tanks also moved to central and western districts, forcing tens of thousands of civilians to flee southwards. Israel ramps up attacks in Gaza The latest evacuation order comes a day after an Israeli air attack on al-Awdah School, killed at least 30 people and wounded 53 others, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian medics. Exclusive footage from the school, obtained by Al Jazeera, shows young Palestinians playing football outside the school as dozens of people watch. Then a loud explosion is heard, sending people running for cover. A Palestinian boy told Al Jazeera he lost several relatives in the attack. “We were sitting and a missile fell and destroyed everything,” he said, sobbing. “I lost my uncle, my cousins and my relatives.” The attack has been condemned by world leaders and the Israeli military has said it is investigating. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on X that two-thirds of the schools it administers in the Gaza Strip, which have served as shelters for displaced Palestinians since the war began, have been hit, killing 524 people. “UN structures, schools and shelters are not a target,” it said. On Wednesday, the Israeli army also said it attacked fighters inside the headquarters of UNRWA. In a visit to central Gaza on Wednesday, Israel’s military chief, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said forces were operating in different ways, in multiple parts of the territory “to carry out a very important mission: pressure”. “We will continue operating to bring home the hostages,” Halevi said. At least 38,295 people have been killed and 88,241 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza since October, according to Palestinian officials. Gaza’s health ministry said on Wednesday that 52 Palestinians were killed and 208 injured in the previous 24 hours. Israel launched its war on Gaza after Hamas led an attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics, and seized about 250 others as hostages, dozens of whom remain in captivity in Gaza. Progress in ceasefire talks? The stepped-up Israeli military activity comes as United States, Egyptian and Qatari mediators met with Israeli officials in Qatar’s capital, Doha, for talks seeking a long-elusive ceasefire deal and an exchange of captives held by Hamas for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Hamas officials have raised concerns that heavy Israeli strikes in recent days along the length of the territory could derail the negotiations. Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, said on Monday that Israel’s escalating assault has threatened talks at a crucial time and could bring negotiations “back to square one”. Hamas, however, still wants international mediators to guarantee that truce talks in Doha conclude with a permanent ceasefire. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted he will not agree to any deal forcing Israel to stop its campaign in Gaza without eliminating Hamas. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Last chance’: Activist Leonard Peltier’s family reflects on life in prison
For decades, the family has pushed for Peltier’s release. But he was previously denied parole in 2009, and attempts to petition for a presidential pardon have been rejected. Peltier’s lawyer Kevin Sharp told US media in June that he considered this month’s parole hearing to be the activist’s “last chance” to be free. But in the lead-up to the hearing, FBI director Christopher Wray wrote a fiery letter expressing “adamant opposition” to Peltier’s release, describing him as a “remorseless killer”. “Peltier is a ruthless murderer who has shown an utter lack of remorse for his many crimes,” Wray wrote. “His release would strike a serious blow to the rule of law.” With the failure of Peltier’s most recent application, the parole commission scheduled an interim hearing for 2026. The next full parole hearing will be in June 2039, by which time Peltier will be 94 years old. Sharp said he plans to appeal this month’s decision. He maintains his client may not survive the wait. Leonard Peltier’s family said they would like him remembered for his activism [Courtesy of Chauncey Peltier] According to Peltier’s family, the activist contends with several serious health conditions, including kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart condition. He also suffered a stroke in 1986 that left him nearly blind in one eye. And in January 2016, he was diagnosed with a life-threatening abdominal aortic aneurysm. “I know he won’t make it to his next parole with the conditions he’s living under. He won’t make it that long,” said Pamela Bravo, Betty Ann’s daughter. She remembers Peltier as her “cool uncle” who used to drive her around the Turtle Mountain Reservation in his convertible car. Her aunt Sheila Peltier warned that, even if Peltier lived to see his next parole hearing, some of his family members might not. He has already lost his parents, a son and a few of his siblings. “We might not even be here. I might not even be here,” Sheila, 59, said. “We’re hoping that this appeal goes through.” She explained that, by speaking out, she aims to remind the world of the good Peltier has done — and that his life did not begin and end at the shootout at Pine Ridge. “He also did a lot for his people,” Sheila said, citing his work with the American Indian Movement. “AIM, they got us fishing rights, our water rights and the Child Act,” she added, referencing the Indian Child Welfare Act, which passed in 1977 as a result of sustained Indigenous advocacy. Leonard Peltier, left, with his wife and family before he was incarcerated in 1977 [Courtesy of Chauncey Peltier] Chauncey, too, would like to see his father recognised for his activism — and for the hardships he faced as an Indigenous man in the US. Peltier, for instance, was a survivor of the Indigenous boarding school system, a web of government- and church-run institutions designed to wipe out Native culture. “He stands for what our people have been struggling with for 500 years,” Chauncey explained. “His release would start the healing of what Native people have gone through for 500 years.” Ultimately, Chauncey said, his father is no threat, “just an old man”. He believes it’s past time for Peltier to be released. “He just wants to go home and paint and work on old cars.” Adblock test (Why?)
What’s next for NATO?
Military alliance marks 75 years at summit with Ukraine war centre stage. The Russia-Ukraine war and the risk of Donald Trump becoming US president again are major issues at NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington. The military alliance faces many challenges. What are they and what’s next for NATO? Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom Guests: Shashank Joshi – Defence editor at The Economist. Janine di Giovanni – Foreign policy analyst who has reported from several NATO wars as a correspondent Geoffrey Roberts – Emeritus professor of history at University College Cork Adblock test (Why?)
Ethiopian PM meets Sudan army chief in push for ‘peace and security’
Abiy Ahmed’s is the highest-level state visit to Sudan since the war began between the army and the paramilitary RSF in April 2023. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has met Sudan’s armed forces chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan as regional and world powers seek an end to the conflict between the military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Sudan has been racked by war since April 2023, when fighting erupted between forces loyal to al-Burhan and the RSF led by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti. Ahmed’s visit on Tuesday to the Red Sea coastal town of Port Sudan, where the army-aligned government is based, is the highest-level state visit since the start of the conflict, which has threatened to destabilise the region, displaced millions of people and created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. The Sudan Sovereign Council said in a statement that the meeting was “a testament to the depth of relations” between the two countries. Ahmed’s press secretary told Al Jazeera the purpose of the Ethiopian leader’s visit was to “achieve peace and security” in Sudan. Reporting from Port Sudan, Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall said, however, “it’s not clear” what Ahmed’s proposals are. In a closed-door meeting, al-Burhan briefed Ahmed on what he called the “crimes and atrocities” committed by the RSF as part of its “rebellion against the state and its institutions”, the council said. Both sides have been accused of committing war crimes by United Nations officials and international rights groups. “The visit comes amid reports of potential talks to be hosted in Uganda. Aside from that, the visit must serve as a breath of fresh air for the Sudanese military leaders who fear being boycotted by most of the outside world,” Al Jazeera’s Vall said. Al-Burhan’s camp has so far largely shunned East African mediation attempts to end the war, accusing regional leaders of siding with the RSF. In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, al-Burhan said the war had made clear who was an “enemy and who is a friend of the Sudanese people and the Sudanese state”. “Many countries remain silent and turn a blind eye to the crimes being committed every day. Everyone who remains silent and everyone who supports what the other side is doing on a daily basis is for sure an enemy,” he said. “Everyone who supports the Sudanese state and its institutions is a friend.” The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said an estimated 10 million people have been forcibly displaced in Sudan since the war broke out. While about 7.7 million people are displaced internally, more than two million have fled to neighbouring countries – including Egypt, Chad, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the UN hunger monitoring system, said Sudan is facing the worst food crisis in its history, with more than 755,000 people facing “catastrophe” in 10 out of 18 states, the most severe level of extreme hunger. Adblock test (Why?)
Messi scores as Argentina beat Canada to enter Copa America final
Goals from Messi and Alvarez send the world champions and Copa America holders into Sunday’s final in Miami. Defending champions Argentina booked their place in the Copa America final after goals from Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi gave them a 2-0 win over Canada. Argentina will face either Uruguay or Colombia in Sunday’s final in Florida, a match that could represent the last shot at silverware for several senior squad members including Messi, Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi. “Let’s enjoy what we are experiencing as a national team, as a group. It is not easy to be in a final again, to compete again to be champions,” Messi said after Tuesday’s semifinal in New Jersey. “I’m living it as I have been living everything lately: enjoying it very much and being aware, as it happens to Fideo (Di Maria) and Ota (Otamendi), that these are the last battles.” ARGENTINA WINS AND ADVANCES TO THE FINAL 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/gpqtpwu0oO — CONMEBOL Copa América™️ ENG (@copaamerica_ENG) July 10, 2024 Argentina have won a joint-record 15 Copa titles and reached the final six times in the past eight editions but Canada caused them real problems in the opening 20 minutes, Jacob Shaffelburg twice shooting wide from promising positions. After soaking up the early pressure, though, Argentina went ahead when Rodrigo De Paul played through Alvarez, who ghosted in between two defenders to score with a tidy finish in the 22nd minute. Argentina, 2022 World Cup winners and number one in FIFA’s rankings, gradually took control and Messi had a chance to double their lead in the 44th minute when he created space in the box with some silky footwork before lashing his effort wide. Canada nearly snatched an equaliser against the run of play in first-half stoppage time as Jonathan David sneaked in ahead of his marker to get on the end of a long throw, but his close-range shot was hit straight at goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Messi had struggled with a muscle injury earlier in the tournament but appeared revitalised on a hot and humid evening at the MetLife Stadium. He scored Argentina’s second in the 51st minute, sticking out a boot to divert Enzo Fernandez’s shot from the edge of the area past Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau. The goal moved Messi to joint fifth in the all-time Copa America scoring charts, level with Peru’s Paolo Guerrero and Chile’s Eduardo Vargas, on 14. His 109th goal for Argentina also saw him surpass Iran’s Ali Daei to take sole possession of second place on the all-time international scoring charts. Messi trails only Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 130 goals for Portugal. Despite their two-goal cushion, Argentina had a nervy finish to the match as Canada substitute Tani Oluwaseyi tested Martinez with a crisp shot in the 89th minute before directing a glancing header wide a minute later. For Canada, the defeat ends a remarkable run in which they defied expectations and performed better than their higher-ranked CONCACAF rivals Mexico and the United States, their fellow co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup. “They’re the best team in the world, but at the same time we had our chances in the beginning of the game,” midfielder Stephen Eustaquio told Canadian broadcaster TSN. “If we scored one of our chances, the story of the game would probably have been different. To get here, the last four of the Copa America, it’s a big achievement.” Adblock test (Why?)
Northern India bus crash kills 18
Collision in Uttar Pradesh state occurred when the bus heading to New Delhi slammed into the back of a tanker carrying milk. A bus crash in northern India has killed at least 18 people, including a child, in the latest deadly road accident on the country’s congested highways. The collision took place early on Wednesday in Uttar Pradesh state, where the bus heading to the national capital, New Delhi, slammed into the back of a tanker carrying milk. The force of the crash threw people out of the vehicle and onto the road, reported Indian broadcaster NDTV, citing local police. Bodies were strewn on the ground along with broken glass and mangled wreckage. In addition to the 18 killed, 19 others were injured and taken to a hospital. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called the accident “heart-wrenching” and ordered officials to ensure those injured receive proper care. State Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told the ANI news agency an investigation would be conducted to determine the reasons for the accident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi relayed his condolences on social media and announced state compensation for victims and their loved ones. Relatives of the deceased will receive 200,000 rupees ($2,400) while those injured will get 50,000 rupees ($600). The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased in the mishap in Unnao. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000. https://t.co/rZDoM9sqeY — PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 10, 2024 Road accidents are common in India, often caused by reckless driving, poorly maintained roads, and ageing vehicles. Government estimates reported 168,000 deaths from such accidents in 2022. In May, 21 people were killed and more than 50 injured when the bus they were travelling in rolled down a deep gorge in Indian-administered Kashmir. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli attack on school shelter kills dozens
NewsFeed An attack on a school sheltering internally displaced Palestinians was hit by Israeli fire – killing at least 29 people. Survivors drove casualties, dead and alive, to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis for treatment. One boy sitting outside the morgue said he’s the only member of his family left alive. Published On 9 Jul 20249 Jul 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Outgoing Israeli general condemns settler violence in occupied West Bank
Yehuda Fox said that the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, is in Israel’s security interest. An Israeli general has condemned the government’s decision to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank and criticised rising levels of settler violence in the region, according to Israeli media reports. Major General Yehuda Fox, the outgoing head of Israel’s central command, said at a departure ceremony on Monday that Israeli settlers have engaged in “nationalist crime” through violence in the occupied West Bank, which he said has “sowed chaos and fear in Palestinian residents who did not pose any threat.” “This is not Judaism in my eyes. At least not the one I grew up with in my father and mother’s house. This is not the way of the Torah. It is adopting the ways of the enemy,” Fox said. Israeli forces and settlers have inreased increased raids on Palestinian towns and villages in the occupied West Bank since Israel’s war in Gaza began in October. Since October, at least 553 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the territory, and 9,510 have been detained, according to Palestinian officials. [embedded content] Fox’s comments come just days after Israel’s government approved 5,295 new housing units in a host of illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank. About 3 million Palestinians live in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and more than 500,000 Israelis reside in more than 100 settlements across the territory. The expansion of settlements remains a major roadblock to since-halted plans outlined in the Oslo Accords that promised the gradual transfer of Israeli-controlled areas to Palestinians. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, has overseen a major escalation in settlement expansion under Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership. Fox acknowledged that it was his responsibility as the chief of the command in charge of the occupied West Bank region, “to act” and tackle this settler expansion and violence but regretted that he “did not always succeed.” “The Central Command’s ability to fulfil its tasks also depends on the existence of a functioning and strong Palestinian Authority, with effective security mechanisms that maintain law and order. Proactively undermining the security reality on this front endangers the security of the State of Israel,” Fox added. On Tuesday, the Israeli Army Radio reported that 340 settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been recorded since the beginning of 2024. The Israeli army says its actions are an attempt to root out activities of Palestinian armed groups with whom Israeli soldiers have often exchanged fire during their incursions. Fox said that the Central Command has managed to ensure the violence in the occupied West Bank does not escalate and become “a main front” amid a war in Gaza which continues to rage. Adblock test (Why?)