Babri mosque to Ram temple: A timeline from 1528 to 2024
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a grand temple to the Hindu God Ram in Ayodhya in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, culminating a four-decade campaign to build the temple by Hindu far-right groups. The temple, popularly known as Ram Mandir, is being constructed on the land where a 16th-century mosque stood until 1992, when Hindu far-right mobs demolished it, triggering a nationwide Hindu-Muslim riots that killed more than 2,000 people, most of them Muslims. Hindus claim the Babri Masjid was built on the site of a temple during the first Mughal ruler Babar, on land that was the birthplace of their chief deity Ram. Muslims offered prayers until 1949 when idols were placed inside the mosque allegedly by Hindu priests. An Indian Supreme Court ruling in 2019 gave ownership of the land to a Hindu trust. The inauguration of the temple is being seen as a symbol of religious triumphalism, turning India’s secular democracy into a Hindu-first nation, further polarising politics that will likely benefit the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) months ahead of general elections. Here is a timeline of the mosque-temple dispute: 1528 – Mosque construction Babri Mosque is built by Mughal commander Mir Baqi under the rule of the first Mughal king, Babur. 1853 – First recorded instance of conflict A Hindu sect claims that a temple was destroyed during Babur’s reign to make way for the mosque. 1859 – The British erect a fence The British colonial administration partitions the site into two separate sections for Hindus and Muslims. Muslims allowed to pray inside, while Hindus allowed to worship in the outer courtyard. December 23, 1949 – Mosque becomes a ‘disputed property’ The government declares the mosque a “disputed property” and locks its gate after idols of Ram deity are allegedly placed by Hindu priests inside the structure, according to police reports. No Muslim prayers offered at the mosque after that. 1950-61 – Civil suits filed Four civil suits are filed in the court ranging from the rights to perform Hindu rituals at the site to a Muslim group seeking declaration and possession of the site. 1984 – Hindu temple committee A committee is formed by Hindu far-right groups, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), to spearhead the construction of a Hindu temple. 1990 – BJP’s Ram temple campaign BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani leads a nationwide campaign to build a temple in the place of the mosque. The nationwide campaign leaves a trail of violence in its wake, resulting in Advani’s arrest in the eastern state of Bihar. December 6, 1992 – Hindu nationalist mob tears down the mosque Tens of thousands of Hindus gather in Ayodhya, pulling down the 16th-century mosque. Hindu-Muslim riots break out across the country. December 16, 1992 – Liberhan Commission Ten days after the demolition of the mosque, the central government forms the Liberhan Commission to investigate the incident. 2003 – Archaeological survey Archaeologists begin a court-directed survey to determine whether a Hindu temple existed at the site. The survey says there is evidence of a temple beneath the mosque, but many archaeologists and Muslims dispute the findings. June 2009 Liberhan Commission report The commission submits its report 17 years after the demolition of the mosque. The report names several leaders of the BJP and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as responsible for the demolition of the mosque. Some senior BJP leaders, including Advani, face trial. September 2010 – Site to be ‘shared’ Three judges of the Allahabad High Court rule that Hindus and Muslims should share the disputed site. The court says two-thirds of the 2.77-acre (1.12-hectare) site belongs to Hindu groups – Nirmohi Akhara sect and Ramlalla Virajman – and the rest to the Muslim group (Sunni Central Wakf Board, UP). May 2011 – Ruling suspended The Supreme Court suspends the High Court ruling following appeals by Hindu and Muslim groups. March 21, 2017 – Out-of-court settlement The chief justice of India suggests an out-of-court settlement between Hindus and Muslims. April 19, 2017 – Conspiracy charges The Supreme Court revives conspiracy charges against top governing party leaders – Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi – and 13 others in the mosque demolition case. December 5, 2017 – Supreme Court hearing The top court hears 13 appeals in the dispute. January 25, 2019 – Five-judge bench to hear case Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi sets up a five-judge bench to hear the case overruling an earlier order by then-CJI Dipak Misra to set up a three-judge bench. The new bench comprises Chief Justice Gogoi and Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer. The top court sets up a mediation panel headed by former Supreme Court judge FM Ibrahim Kalifulla to reach an out-of-court settlement. The Supreme Court says mediation efforts have failed. August 6, 2019 – Day-to-day hearing Supreme Court commences day-to-day hearing on the Ayodhya land dispute. October 16, 2019 – Hearing concluded, order reserved The Supreme Court concludes the hearing; the five-judge bench reserves the judgement. November 9, 2019 – Supreme Court ruling The Supreme Court rules that the land must be handed over to a trust to oversee the construction of a Hindu temple, subject to conditions. A separate piece of land in Ayodhya is awarded to Muslim groups. February 5, 2020 – Trust set up A 15-member Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is set up to oversee the construction and management of the temple. August 5, 2020 – PM lays foundation stone Modi lays the foundation stone for the temple and unveils its plaque. September 30, 2020 A court in Lucknow acquits senior BJP leaders, including Advani – a one-time mentor of Prime Minister Modi – in the case for lack of evidence. January 22, 2024 – Temple consecration Despite the construction of some wings still pending, the Ram temple is consecrated. A large ceremony featuring prominent figures, Hindu spiritual leaders, and Modi is held in Ayodhya. The ceremony involves a procession of idols and a statue of
Hamas says October 7 attack was a ‘necessary step’, admits to ‘some faults’
The Palestinian group provides its account of what happened before and during the assault on communities in southern Israel. The Palestinian group Hamas has said there were “faults” in the October 7 attack it led on southern Israel, but claimed its fighters only targeted Israeli soldiers and people carrying weapons. In a 16-page report titled “Our Narrative” and published on Sunday, Hamas, which governs Gaza, said it wanted to “clarify” the background and dynamics of the surprise attack it calls Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. In its first public report since the attack, Hamas said it was “a necessary step and a normal response to confront all Israeli conspiracies against the Palestinian people”. Early on October 7, Hamas fighters stormed communities along Israel’s southern fence with Gaza. At least 1,139 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the attack, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on official Israeli statistics, and about 240 others were seized as captives. Around 100 of the captives were released during a seven-day truce in late November in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Israeli authorities have accused Hamas fighters of committing war crimes during the attack, including torture, rape and mutilation. Hamas has strongly rejected allegations of sexual violence and or mutilation. ‘Maybe some faults happened’ The report said Hamas planned to target Israeli military sites and to capture soldiers, which could be used to pressure the Israeli authorities to release thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. The group said that avoiding harming civilians “is a religious and moral commitment” by fighters of Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades. “If there was any case of targeting civilians; it happened accidentally and in the course of the confrontation with the occupation forces,” read the report. It added that “maybe some faults happened” during the attack “due to the rapid collapse of the Israeli security and military system, and the chaos caused along the areas near Gaza. “Many Israelis were killed by the Israeli army and police due to their confusion,” it added. Israel responded to the attack with a devastating bombardment of Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade for 17 years, killing more than 25,000 people – mostly women and children, according to Palestinian authorities in the territory. Palestinian officials and human rights groups have accused Israel of committing war crimes in its assault on Gaza. The Hamas report also addressed the issue of post-war Gaza, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on his opposition to Palestinian statehood. “We stress that the Palestinian people have the capacity to decide their future and to arrange their internal affairs,” the report said, adding that “no party in the world” had the right to decide on their behalf. The report also listed the reasons that led to the attack, citing Israel’s campaign of settlements’ construction “and Judaization of the Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem”, and the killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians from 2000 until this year. Adblock test (Why?)
Hundreds of thousands protest against far-right in Germany
Rallies to protest against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party are held in Berlin, Munich and other cities. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across towns and cities in Germany to protest against the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. On Sunday, rallies against the AfD were held in Berlin, Munich and Cologne, as well as in more traditional AfD voting strongholds in eastern Germany such as Leipzig and Dresden. While national polls show AfD in second place behind the main centre-right opposition bloc and ahead of the parties in the government, demonstrations against the far-right party gained momentum after a January 10 report from investigative news website Correctiv revealed that migration policies including mass deportations of people of foreign origin were discussed at a meeting of German right-wing extremists in Potsdam. Among the participants at the talks was Martin Sellner, a leader of Austria’s Identitarian Movement, which claims there is a plot by non-white migrants to replace Europe’s “native” white population. The AfD has denied the reported migration plans are party policy. On Sunday, demonstrators outside the German parliament in Berlin carried signs that said “no place for Nazis” and “Nazis out”. In Munich, protest organisers said 200,000 people attended, adding that they were forced to end the demonstration early due to overcrowding. Katrin Delrieux, 53, told AFP in Munich that she hoped the protests against the far right would “make a lot of people rethink” their positions. “Some might not be sure whether they will vote for the AfD or not, but after this protest, they simply cannot,” she said. In Frankfurt, protester Steffi Kirschenmann told the news agency Reuters that the rallies are “a signal to the world that we won’t let this happen without commenting on it”. Meanwhile in Dresden, the capital of the eastern region of Saxony, where the far-right party is leading in the polls, authorities had to alter the course of a protest march. The procession was lengthened to make space for an “enormous number of participants”, police in Dresden said on the social media platform X. Politicians, businesses take a stand Business leaders have also voiced their concerns, with Siemens Energy supervisory board chairman Joe Kaeser telling Reuters the reports [revealed by Correctiv] trigger “bitter memories”. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has also come out in support of the rallies across Germany and views them as a sign of strength against right-wing extremism. In a video message on Sunday, Steinmeier said: “You are standing up against misanthropy and right-wing extremism; these people encourage us all.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who joined a demonstration last weekend, highlighted that any plan to expel immigrants or citizens alike amounted to “an attack against our democracy, and in turn, on all of us”. He urged “all to take a stand – for cohesion, for tolerance, for our democratic Germany”. Rechtsextremisten greifen unsere Demokratie an. Wir alle sind gefordert, deutlich Stellung zu beziehen: für unser demokratisches Deutschland. Und für unsere mehr als 20 Millionen Freunde, Arbeitskolleginnen und Nachbarn, die eine Migrationsgeschichte haben. #Kanzlerkompakt pic.twitter.com/Cs1Dj69TwM — Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) January 19, 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 698
As the war enters its 698th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Monday, January 22, 2024. Fighting Twenty-seven people were killed and 25 injured after shelling hit a market on the outskirts of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk, according to Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-appointed head of the Donetsk region. Pushilin blamed Ukraine for the attack on the suburb of Tekstilshchik and said Monday would be a day of mourning. Ukraine’s forces in the Tavria, or southern zone, said in a Facebook post that its soldiers were not responsible. “Donetsk is Ukraine!” it said. “Russia will have to answer for taking lives of Ukrainians.” Donetsk is one of four regions in Ukraine that Russia annexed illegally in 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not address the attack in his Sunday night video but said that in a single day, Russia had shelled more than 100 cities, towns and villages in nine regions of Ukraine and that the attacks in Donetsk had been “particularly severe”. At least two people were killed in Ukrainian-controlled villages west of Donetsk, according to Ukrainian officials. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces took control of the village of Krokhmalne in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region. Volodymyr Fityo, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ground Forces Command, told reporters that Kyiv had withdrawn its soldiers and that Russia taking the village of “five houses” was of “no strategic importance”. Fito said Ukrainian forces were still holding the front line. A fire broke out at a chemical transport terminal at Russia’s Ust-Luga Port following two explosions, regional officials said. Local media said the Baltic Sea port, 165km (about 100 miles) southwest of St Petersburg, had been attacked by Ukrainian drones, causing a gas tank to explode. No casualties were reported. Politics and diplomacy Choe Son Hui, North Korea’s top diplomat, said her country was “ready to greet” Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to state media. Choe was in Moscow last week where she met the Russian president. Putin expressed “his willingness to visit the DPRK at an early date”, the statement said, using the acronym for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name. Putin last travelled to Pyongyang in 2000. Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk said it was important for the country’s players to keep winning at the Australian Open to remind people of the continuing conflict. The 21-year-old thrashed Russian qualifier Maria Timofeeva 6-2, 6-1 and refused to shake her hand afterwards. Kostyuk will meet US Open champion Coco Gauff in the quarter-final. Sunday marked 100 years since the death of Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union whose body remains on display at his mausoleum on Moscow’s Red Square. Shortly before launching his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin publicly chided Lenin for his supposed role in dividing the Russian Empire into nation-states like Ukraine. Adblock test (Why?)
Egypt’s el-Sisi says Cairo will not allow any threat to Somalia
El-Sisi’s comments come amid dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia over the latter’s deal with Somaliland. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has said Cairo stands shoulder to shoulder with Somalia and has slammed Ethiopia’s agreement with Somaliland to obtain access to the sea and establish a marine force base. “Egypt will not allow anyone to threaten Somalia or affect its security,” el-Sisi said, speaking at a news conference with visiting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. “Do not try Egypt, or try to threaten its brothers especially if they ask it to intervene,” he said. Somaliland, a region strategically located by the Gulf of Aden, broke away from Somalia in 1991 as the country collapsed into a civil conflict. The region has maintained its own government despite a lack of international recognition. On January 1, in a memorandum, Ethiopia said it would consider recognising Somaliland’s independence in return for the port access. It would lease 20km (12 miles) of coastland around the port of Berbera, on the Gulf of Aden, for 50 years for military and commercial purposes. Ethiopia’s current main port for maritime exports is in the neighbouring country of Djibouti. Sheikh Mohamud, the president of Somalia, rejected the deal as a violation of international law and said: “We will not stand idly by and watch our sovereignty being compromised.” He arrived in Egypt over the weekend to rally support for his government. Besides meeting President el-Sisi, he met with Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Al-Azhar Mosque’s Grand Imam, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb. “My message to Ethiopia is that … trying to seize a piece of land to control it is something no one will agree to,” el-Sisi said, noting cooperation on development was a better strategy. On Sunday, Ethiopia rejected criticism from Egypt over the deal, saying it was merely a commercial agreement aimed at securing access to the sea and not an attempt to annex land. “It isn’t annexation or assumption of sovereignty over the territory of any state,” Redwan Hussien, national security adviser to the prime minister of Ethiopia, said in a post on X. Ethiopia’s commitment for peace and security in Somalia has been demonstrated through the blood and sweat of its precious sons and daughters. Ethiopia & Somalia are not just neighbors who share a border but they are fraternal nations sharing a common language, culture & people. — Redwan Hussien (@RedwanHussien) January 21, 2024 Relations between Egypt and Ethiopia have been tense for years over a major dam Ethiopia has built on the Blue Nile. For over a decade — along with Sudan — the countries have been trying to reach a negotiated agreement on the filling and operation of the $4bn Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The latest round of talks last month ended without a deal and Cairo and Addis Ababa traded blame for the failure. Negotiators have said key questions remain about how much water Ethiopia will release downstream if a multiyear drought occurs, and how the countries will resolve any future disputes. [embedded content] Adblock test (Why?)
Ron DeSantis drops out of US presidential race, endorses Trump
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has suspended his Republican US presidential campaign just before the New Hampshire primary and endorsed Donald Trump, ending a White House bid that failed to meet expectations that he would emerge as a serious challenger to the former president. “It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” he said in a video posted on X on Sunday. New Hampshire’s primary, the first in the United States, comes on Tuesday. DeSantis derided former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, long his closest rival for second place in the primary race, saying Republicans “can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.” DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential contest with major advantages in his quest to take on Trump, and early primary polls suggested he was in a strong position to do just that. He and his allies amassed a political fortune well in excess of $100m and he boasted a significant legislative record on issues important to many conservatives like abortion and the teaching of race and gender issues in schools. Such advantages did not survive the reality of presidential politics in 2024. From a high-profile announcement that was plagued by technical glitches to constant upheavals to his staff and campaign strategy, DeSantis struggled to find his footing in the primary. He lost the Iowa caucuses – which he had vowed to win – by 30 percentage points to Trump. And now, DeSantis’s political future is in question after he suspended his presidential bid following just one voting contest. The 45-year-old is term-limited as Florida’s governor. DeSantis was widely expected to be a serious challenger to Trump. Acknowledging the threat, Trump went after the Florida governor viciously in the months leading up to DeSantis’s announcement of his candidacy in May, and continued to pound him on the campaign trail, on social media and in paid advertising in the months that followed. Yet many of DeSantis’s problems may have been his own doing. Fuelled by his dominant Florida re-election in 2022, DeSantis sidestepped tradition by announcing his presidential campaign on X, in a conversation on the social media site with CEO Elon Musk. The site failed repeatedly during the conversation, making it all but impossible to hear his opening remarks as a presidential candidate. In the subsequent weeks and months, DeSantis struggled to connect with voters on a personal level. He irked some New Hampshire Republican officials in his campaign’s inaugural visit to the state by declining to take questions from voters, as is tradition in New Hampshire. And later, uncomfortable interactions with voters in other states were caught on camera as well. More serious financial challenges emerged over the summer. By the end of July, DeSantis had laid off nearly 40 employees in a move designed to cut roughly one-third of his campaign payroll. The cuts came shortly after public filings revealed that he was burning through his substantial campaign coffers at an unsustainable rate. Some people looking for a Trump alternative backed Haley, the former diplomat and South Carolina governor who gained popularity among many Republican donors, independent voters and the so-called Never Trump crowd. DeSantis and Haley frequently attacked each other in debates and in advertising, often more directly than they went after Trump. As internal financial concerns mounted, DeSantis turned aggressively to an allied super PAC to handle basic campaign functions such as organising campaign events, advertising and an expansive door-knocking operation. Federal law does not allow campaigns to coordinate directly with super PACs. In December, a non-partisan government watchdog group filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, citing reporting by The Associated Press and others, alleging that the degree of coordination and communication between DeSantis’s campaign and the Never Back Down super PAC crossed a legal line. DeSantis denied any wrongdoing and called the complaint “a farce”. Still, the steady stream of negative developments leading up to the opening primary contests undermined the confidence of DeSantis’s donor network, which was supposed to be a major strength, and would-be supporters at the ballot box. As his polling numbers stagnated, DeSantis and his allies pulled back on their multistate strategy and focused virtually all of his resources on Iowa’s opening caucuses. After leaving the 2024 presidential contest, DeSantis now refocuses his attention on the rest of his second and final term as Florida’s governor, which ends in January 2027. Adblock test (Why?)
Reporter’s Notebook: Covering an anti-war protest in Israel
It’s a crisp sunny Saturday morning as our crew prepares the car for the drive from Jerusalem to Haifa to cover an anti-war rally. Spirits are high as I place my camera equipment in the boot of the car. Then we discuss footwear. Stefanie, our correspondent, has chosen to wear comfortable white trainers, expecting the likelihood of violence to be low. However, Luke, whom we’ve hired to provide security, and I have plumped for sturdy boots in case things get heated. This is the first anti-war protest to take place in Israel since it began its war on Gaza following the Hamas attacks of October 7. Since, it hasn’t been easy for the anti-war voice to make itself heard. The organisers of this rally, Hadash, a left-wing socialist party that supports a two-state solution, were initially banned from gathering and had to take their request to the Supreme Court. A protester shouts into a megaphone at the anti-war rally [Alasdair Brenard/Al Jazeera] For us, even finding the protest location proves difficult. As we near the square in Haifa, our GPS begins sending us in circles. We finally park at a mosque where a local explains that the Israeli army has scrambled the GPS signal in northern Israel due to security concerns. The authorities were likely keen to let the protest go ahead on a Saturday when there’s no public transport, which would make it more difficult for people to reach the square. As we make our way to the square, we pass a large contingent of police in blue uniforms as well as what looks like border guards in dark green. They seem to be having a last-minute pep talk before the protest. No doubt they have concerns as to what might be about to happen. They are armed with rifles and pistols, and they have utility vehicles, the notorious “skunk water truck” and officers on horseback. I’m starting to feel vindicated by my choice of footwear. About 500 people showed up at the rally on Saturday [Alasdair Brenard/Al Jazeera] Around midday, we’re waiting for the rally to start. Police create a ring of steel around the area, erecting metal barricades and blocking the nearby road with trucks. They’ve also placed an armed spotter on a roof overlooking the square. A local photographer explains to me that the police are not happy the protest is going ahead, that the anti-war message is not one they are ready to hear. “They’re going to provoke violence from the demonstrators to prove that it shouldn’t have gone ahead,” he warns me solemnly. Our guard is now up. We start to survey the arriving protesters for signs of trouble or possible counter-protesters that may have been planted to try and whip up confrontations. Luke spots a man reaching into his inner jacket pocket in a very suspicious manner. The man glances around and pulls out… a packet of cigarettes. False alarm, but you can’t be too careful. More people start to show up – about 500, many of them young – and some aren’t wearing shoes. I can’t help but feel that the police may have overestimated the danger posed by this particular group of protesters. They’re banging drums, shouting slogans through loudspeakers and giving speeches on the importance of reconciliation and the failure of war to bring lasting security. Protesters wave flags and beat drums [Alasdair Brenard/Al Jazeera] It’s refreshing to hear an alternative message in Israel and to see Israelis and Palestinian Israelis standing together in hope for a peaceful future. One of the speakers, Maoz Inon, whose parents were killed by Hamas fighters during Hamas’s attacks on October 7, speaks of forgiveness: “My father cultivated the land. He grew wheat and he also brought me up to believe in a good future. “My message to the world is don’t choose a side, Israeli or Palestine, but please choose humanity.” [embedded content] Meanwhile, police are becoming increasingly twitchy. They swoop in on the crowd and pluck a man from it, then lead him away to a nearby vehicle as the protesters, police and press surge back and forth in the confusion. Fortunately, the situation doesn’t escalate and things soon calm down. But there are other events. At one point, while I’m filming Stefanie talking to the camera, a Palestinian-Israeli man and his teenage daughter approach us. He apologises for interrupting us before telling us he’d been shoved in the back by a police officer while watching the rally. He’s upset and frustrated, and feels targeted for simply showing up at the rally. Near the end of the protest, the police make another move. This time, the source of their ire is a paper mâché fighter plane with cardboard bombs dangling beneath. It’s a brief battle before the model plane is snatched away. Despite the plane incident, the protesters remain upbeat. When the rally finishes and people begin to file off in different directions, Stefanie stays a little longer to talk with Maoz. Meanwhile, a counter-protester films him and then tries to start arguments with the people that remain. For now, those protesting here today are in the minority. According to recent polls, the majority of Israelis still support the war in Gaza. Adblock test (Why?)
Wounded Palestinians treated on French warship off Egyptian shore
The Dixmude, a French helicopter carrier, has been docked in the Egyptian port of El Arish, 50 km (30 miles) west of the Gaza Strip, since November. The vessel is equipped with wards, operating theatres and 70 medical staff. Nearly 120 injured people have been hospitalised on board, while hundreds more have been seen for outpatient consultations, including follow-ups on injuries and psychiatric issues, said Captain Alexandre Blonce, calling it an “unprecedented mission”. Israeli forces launched all-out war to eliminate Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs Gaza, after its fighters carried out a surprise attack on southern Israel. At least 1,139 people were killed in the October 7 attack, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics, and some 240 others were seized as hostages and taken back to the enclave. More than 25,000 people have been killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian authorities. Palestinians in Gaza have struggled to get medical care at home as tens of thousands have been wounded, with most of Gaza’s 36 hospitals no longer functioning, and those remaining operating at far over capacity, the World Health Organization says. Israel has targeted the largest remaining hospitals, saying Hamas fighters are operating there, something Hamas denies. Those lucky enough to cross into Egypt, like 16-year-old Ahmed Abu Daqqa, who was injured on November 1, faced long waits for medical care. Doctors in Gaza “took out the shrapnel and put in two rods, but a month later they discovered more shrapnel in my knee. They told me they’ll handle it later because there were too many surgeries,” he said on board the Dixmude. Abu Daqqa said he tried many times to get a transfer” before finally crossing into Egypt. He was then able to undergo further surgery where the rods and shrapnel were removed and a resulting infection dealt with. He also received physical therapy. Abu Daqqa and others on board the French ship were awaiting further transfers to hospitals in Egypt or abroad. Italy sent a similar floating hospital to the Egyptian coast in December. Adblock test (Why?)
How relevant is the Non-Aligned Movement?
As the organisation meets in Uganda, how big a role can its 120 member countries play on the global stage? The Non-Aligned Movement was established almost 70 years ago during the Cold War era of bilateralism – far removed from the world we see now. As the organisation meets in Uganda, how big a role can its 120 members play on the global stage? And how much influence do they have in creating a more multilateral system? Presenter: Nastasya Tay Guests: Nicholas Sengoba – The Daily Monitor newspaper columnist Endy Bayuni – Former editor, The Jakarta Post newspaper Dima Al-Khatib – Director, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation Adblock test (Why?)
Week in pictures: From protests in Israel to fashion in Paris
[unable to retrieve full-text content] A photo roundup of some of last week’s events, including a rhino relocation project in Kenya.