Day: 30 March 2024

Ramallah: Israeli troops Saturday shot and killed a 13-year-old Palestinian boy and wounded two other youths when they stormed into the town of Qabatya near Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank, according to local medical sources.

Director of Al-Razi Hospital in Jenin Fawaz Hammad said Motassem Abu A’abed was struck by live rounds and two other young men were injured by army fire, one seriously.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement that the occupation forces wounded two young men, arrested a man and his son as they raided and ransacked homes in Qabatya.

Source: Jordan News Agency

HEBRON: Israeli occupation forces today detained a Palestinian mother and her daughter while they were herding sheep in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.

Muhammad Rabi, the head of the Al-Tuwanah Village Council in Musafer Yatta, said that a large Israeli force detained Subha Al-Adra and her daughter Sanaa while they were herding sheep near their home in the village of Al-Tuwanah.

Following their detention, the mother along with her daughter were transferred to the Susiya illegal colony.

Rabi pointed out that the occupation forces have been escalating their violations and heinous attacks against Palestinian people and their proprieties in Masafer Yatta. These violations against the area include demolition of animal barns, homes and residential structures.

Issuance of construction permits by Israel to local Palestinians in the area is non-existent.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

RAFAH: In the displacement camps nestled within the heart of Rafah, in the farthest south of the Gaza Strip, displaced families find themselves locked in a relentless battle against an unforgiving foe: a crippling scarcity of water amids the Israeli aggression.

In long queues snaking through one of these camps, hundreds of displaced individuals patiently await their turn, clutching empty containers, hoping to fill them with the precious resource they so desperately need. Among them stands Saad Al-Tarabeen, aged 45, accompanied by his family of nine, enduring the agonizing wait for water that has eluded them for the past two days, despite their urgent need for it.

The scarcity of water stems from the lack of consistent electricity and fuel needed to operate water pumping stations continuously. Al-Tarabeen, like hundreds of other displaced families in Rafah, is living in dire conditions due to this shortage of water, which is fundamental to life itself.

These temporary camps in Rafah, home to approximately 1
.3 million people, have become a refuge for many families displaced by the ongoing Israeli war of genocide, offering little respite as they grapple with the harsh realities of their situation.

Al-Tarabeen tells Anadolu Agency, “Since yesterday until now, I haven’t gotten a single drop of water. With the onset of summer, our need for water only increases.”

He continues, “The smallest camp in Rafah houses 80 to 90 families, and the water supply reaches it for only two hours, not on a daily basis, and this is not sufficient for those families.”

Highlighting the critical importance of water, he notes that an individual requires 40 to 50 liters of water daily under normal circumstances, yet they struggle to obtain even 2 liters per day.

He further explains that conditions in the displacement camps and Gaza as a whole worsen each day due to the continued Israeli aggression and blockade. Al-Tarabeen hopes for assistance and support from the international community and fervently seeks peace to end the cycle of wa
r.

Meanwhile, Um Suhaib Yassin, a 40-year-old mother, waits anxiously outside her tent as her children eagerly return with a jerrycan filled with water, a precious treasure to her.

“In the displacement camps, we face many problems, most notably the water issue,” she says. “Water rarely comes daily for a period ranging from two to three hours, making it difficult for us to meet our needs, given the large number of displaced people.”

She adds, “We spend our entire day searching for water, especially during the month of Ramadan.”

She expresses her wish for the war to end, for peace to prevail, and for water to be readily available in Gaza, hoping that Rafah will not witness any more military offensive.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

TUBAS: Two Palestinians were shot and injured today during an Israeli military incursion of the city of Tubas in the northern West Bank.

Medical sources reported that the two Palestinian young men were injured by live bullets in the lower extremities and were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Earlier morning, a large Israeli force raided the city of Tubas and deployed their forces across the streets and alleys, where they carried out wide-scale home raids and searches.

Undercover special forces further broke into the city from its eastern entrance, followed by military reinforcements accompanied by a bulldozer, coming from the Tayaseer checkpoint east of the city.

Later, the occupation surrounded a house and ordered via loudspeakers a young man to surrender himself.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

GAZA: Dozens of Palestinian civilians were killed today as Israeli warplanes launched a series of intense airstrikes in Gaza City.

Medical sources reported that the occupation warplanes bombed a house for the Musa family in the Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, resulting in the killing of several civilians and dozens of injuries. The strike also resulted in the massive destruction to the nearby houses.

The occupation army continues its military offensive against Al-Shifa Medical Complex and its surroundings west of Gaza Strip for over 10 days.

Furthermore, the soldiers further carried out heinous attacks against civilians and medical personnel from inside the Complex, involving executions, detentions, torture, and forced displacement.

In Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli tanks and warplanes have been carrying out intense and violent airstrikes and artillery shelling on different areas, particrully the eastern and western regions, targeting the vicinity of the Nasser Medical Complex.

A
dditionally, the Israeli military targeted the headquarters of the municipalities of Bureij and Zawaida in the central governorates of the Gaza Strip, putting them out of service.

The occupation warplanes also launched violent airstrikes targeting the vicinity of the Wadi Gaza Bridge north of the central governorate in the Gaza Strip.

Furthermore, the occupation aircraft and artillery targeted homes and gatherings of displaced people in the Shujaiya Club, the Karni crossing area, the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital, and Al-Maghazi camp, resulting in the killing of 40 civilians and the injury of dozens.

Simultaneously, the Israeli military targeted a group of civilians in the Abasan Al-Kabira area, east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza Strip, resulting in the killing of three civilians.

Israeli fighter jets launched a series of fire belts targeting the Khuza’a area, east of Khan Yunis, and the Abasan and Sufa areas, northeast of the city of Rafah.

The Palestinian death toll from the Israeli onslaught on Gaza
since October 7 has risen to 32,623 reported fatalities, with an additional 75,092 individuals sustaining injuries. The majority of the victims are women and children.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

Amman: Products of the Jordanian pharmaceutical industries and medical supplies sector moved over the past quarter century to the global level, driven by its development, quality and competitiveness, which placed the Kingdom among the top countries in this strategic industry, according to a stakeholder.

Representative of Pharmaceutical Industries and Medical Supply Sector in Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI), Fadi Atrash, said Jordan’s pharmaceutical and medical supplies industry is considered a “vital” and “important” sector.

Atrash added that this industry carries many “tangible” successes and developments, and confirms commitment of its products to international specifications and standards to reach the “highest” level of competitive advantage.

In remarks to “Petra” on Saturday, he noted the sector has witnessed “remarkable” development over the years, and achieved “noticeable” growth and provide “high-quality” products that enjoy acceptance at the local and global levels, thanks to the “unrelenting” inn
ovation and efforts of its industrial facilities.

Atrash indicated that the pharmaceutical industries and medical supplies sector has succeeded in transforming from a “modest” local industry into a global industry, characterized by “high quality and strong competitive” capabilities.

Aditionally, he noted the sector’s long journey began in 1962, when the first pharmaceutical factory was established in the city of Salt, with Jordanian assistance and expertise.

Noting the sector’s key successes over the past years, he said added value created by its production operations reached about JD852 million in 2022, representing more than half of the sector’s total production.

This achievement, he noted, reflects “positively” on its contribution to the gross domestic product at a rate estimated at about 4%, which confirms its “important” role in advancing sustainable development and strengthening the Kingdom’s economy.

Atrash pointed out that the pharmaceutical industries and medical supplies sector’s facilities emp
loy approximately 10,000 workers.

The sector is also keen to employ local labor at various administrative and technical levels, as the rate of Jordanians recruited by the sector reached 98%, while women exceed 35% of the total workforce, he pointed out.

According to Atrash, the sector has a “huge” production capacity that operates more than 70% production lines.

He stated that the sector includes 151 facilities operating inside the Kingdom, with a registered capital of about JD341 million, while the number of Jordanian factories outside the country is 15 plants operating inside Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Sudan.

During the past year 2023, he noted the sector achieved a “qualitative” leap at the export level, as its exports reached JD620 million with a growth rate of 19%, compared to 2022.

Meanwhile, he said its products “successfully” reached more than 77 countries around the world, making Jordan the only country in the region that exports more than it imports.

He stated that Jordan export
s more than 40% of its pharmaceutical production annually, accounting for approximately 5% of the Kingdom’s total national exports.

Atrash noted estimates indicate that the Kingdom has many export opportunities in the medical industry products with a value exceeding JD344 million to many countries around the world.

Under Economic Modernization Vision, he said goals aimed to increase exports to more than JD2.1 billion by 2033, reach the added value to about JD1.7 billion, increase the number of the sector workforce to reach 16,000 workers, and attract investments into the sector amounting to approximately JD1.1 billion, through 11 initiatives.

Source: Jordan News Agency

BETHLEHEM: An Israeli colonist today morning held a Palestinian youth from the village of Husan, west of Bethlehem.

Rami Hamamra, the director of the Housan Village Council, said that a colonist from the illegal colonial outpost of Sidi Boa held Basil Abdel Wahab Hamamra, 17, while he was herding sheep in the Al-Sharafa area in the village.

Yesterday, a group of Israeli colonists, heavily guarded by occupation army, raided the village using tractors and embarked on carrying out proactive actions against villagers.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

CAIRO: The Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, and France have issued a joint statement calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. They also called for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 2721, 2720, and 2728, including facilitating the unhindered access of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Following discussions held today in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to address the Palestinian issue and the situation in Gaza, the ministers expressed grave concerns over the devastating humanitarian repercussions, including famine and the collapse of the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip.

They reiterated their rejection of any attempts at forced displacement of the Palestinian people, deeming such actions illegal under international law.

The ministers urged the implementation of the provisional measures adopted by the International Court of Justice on January 26 and March 28, as well as the rapid, safe, and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and throughou
t the region.

They further called on Israel to remove all obstacles and facilitate the use of all land crossings to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions.

Commending the efforts of the United Nations and its agencies, including UNRWA, the ministers emphasized the vital role they play in providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza. They reaffirmed the importance of respecting and protecting all humanitarian workers and ensuring their freedom of movement and access to Gaza and its northern region.

The ministers vehemently opposed any Israeli military attack on Rafah, which shelters 1.5 million Palestinian refugees, warning that such an assault would result in significant loss of life and further exacerbate the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.

They called for the preservation of the status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem, including maintaining the role of the Jordanian Waqf as custodian of the Al-Aqsa Mosqu
e, expressing deep concern over increasing pressures against Christian and Muslim communities in Jerusalem.

The ministers emphasized the necessity of implementing a two-state solution based on relevant United Nations resolutions, including the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.

They highlighted the importance of the UN Security Council addressing the situation on the ground, in addition to the political dimension of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA