Day: 11 September 2024

The Zionist enemy army continues its aggression on the Gaza Strip for the 340th consecutive day, committing more massacres against the Palestinians in the Strip, killing 41,020 martyrs, and 94,925 wounded, most of them children and women, since the beginning of the aggression.

As part of its ongoing genocidal campaign against the Gaza Strip, which has been supported by the United States for the past 11 months, the Zionist forces committed a massacre early this morning.

They launched a devastating airstrike targeting the displaced persons’ tents in Mawasi Khan Yunis, located in the southwest of the Strip. This attack resulted in numerous deaths and injuries, including many children and women, with a significant number of civilians still unaccounted for.

The Palestinian Civil Defense reported that the Zionist forces targeted the displaced persons’ tents with five missiles, leading to a significant massacre among the displaced population. According to the statement, 40 bodies and 60 injured individuals have b
een recovered, while dozens more are still missing beneath the rubble and craters created by the bombing.

The report detailed that entire families have vanished under the debris as a result of the attack, emphasizing that “estimates suggest we are witnessing one of the most horrific massacres” since the onset of the Zionist aggression against Gaza.

The Civil Defense indicated that fires broke out in at least 20 tents, and the missiles caused holes up to nine meters deep.

It pointed out that the Zionist enemy aircraft used heavy concussion missiles in the raids on the tents of the displaced, indicating that the massacre was committed in al-Mawasi area, which the enemy declared a safe humanitarian area and is crowded with displaced people.

The media office in Gaza has declared that the US administration is fully responsible for the ongoing horrific massacres perpetrated by the Zionist forces against the Palestinian people. The office called on the international community to exert pressure on both the US and
the Zionist forces to halt the campaign of extermination.

Palestinian resistance factions have described the early morning massacre as a war crime, underscoring its continuation of the broader campaign of extermination. They urged the international community to end its silence and take action to stop the aggression.

The factions emphasized that the ongoing actions amount to war crimes for which the US administration is held accountable, as it provides the Israeli state with weapons and protection, thereby enabling it to continue these acts.

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted the international community’s failure to enforce UN resolutions and International Court of Justice rulings, which are intended to compel Israel to halt its aggression against the Palestinian people. This inaction, according to the Ministry, encourages further atrocities, including massacres, ethnic cleansing, and displacement of Palestinians, by granting continued impunity to Israel and its leaders.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, in a statement on its website, has asserted that Washington is “complicit in the crimes” perpetrated by the Israeli army in al-Mawasi, as the attacks were carried out with American-made weapons.

The Monitor reported that its preliminary investigations revealed that Israeli warplanes used three American-made MK-84 bombs to target the tents of displaced people in Al-Mawasi while they slept. This bombing created deep craters, burying approximately 20 tents along with the families inside them.

The organization emphasized that Washington is “complicit in this crime,” given that it supplies the Israeli military with weapons and destructive bombs, despite knowing that these are used to kill hundreds of civilians.”

The Observatory emphasized that the use of such powerful American-made bombs in an area densely populated with tents and displaced individuals indicates the Israeli army’s intent to cause maximum civilian casualties, highlighting that no evacuation warnings w
ere issued before the bombing.

In response to claims by the Israeli army that the strike targeted resistance fighters among the displaced, the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas issued a statement denying these allegations. Hamas described the claims as a “blatant lie,” intended to justify what it calls “heinous crimes.” The statement reiterated that the resistance has consistently denied the presence of its fighters among civilian populations or the use of such areas for military purposes.

It pointed out that in light of these repeated brutal massacres against civilians and displaced persons in tents, schools and shelters, the international community, the United Nations and all political, humanitarian and judicial institutions are required today to leave the square of silence and helplessness, and assume their responsibility to stop this holocaust that has been ongoing for 11 months, and to work to stop this savage aggression, and take the necessary measures to bring the Zionist war criminals to the Interna
tional Criminal Court, and hold them accountable for these heinous crimes.

Arab and international condemnations of this heinous massacre continued, confirming that the widespread violations against civilians are an insistence on genocide crimes, and an affirmation of the American insistence on continuing the crimes of genocide against the Palestinian people.

In this context, Kuwait expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the new massacre committed by the Zionist enemy forces against innocent displaced Palestinians in the Khan Yunis area in the southern Gaza Strip.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed – in a statement today, Tuesday – that this “brutal targeting of defenseless civilians, women and children, is conclusive evidence that the Zionist occupation forces are waging a war of extermination against the Palestinians in flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”

The ministry renewed the State of Kuwait’s demands for the international communit
y and the Security Council to move quickly to stop the war of extermination that these forces have been waging on the Strip since October 2023.

In a sharp and forceful condemnation, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani decried the attack, calling for immediate and decisive action from international institutions, particularly the UN Security Council, to halt the ongoing atrocities committed by the Israeli state. Kanani declared that “the Zionist terrorist entity, with its frenzied assaults on Palestinian civilians and displaced persons’ camps, has demonstrated a complete disregard for legal, international, and humanitarian standards.”

UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland also denounced what he described as a brutal assault on the city of Khan Younis in Gaza.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy labeled the Israeli raid as “shocking” and underscored the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Turkey issued a strong condemnation, with the Turkish Foreign Ministry accusing the Israeli governme
nt of perpetrating a new crime in its ongoing campaign of genocide.

Norway also condemned the massacre, with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stating on the X platform that all parties must uphold their obligation to protect civilians and adhere to international humanitarian law.

The area of Khan Younis has seen several massacres in recent months, with the latest attack occurring in July when Israeli aircraft targeted displaced persons’ tents in a so-called attempt to assassinate Palestinian resistance leader Mohammed Deif.

This region, which was supposed to be a “safe” zone, has become the site of numerous fatalities and injuries among displaced civilians.

Source: Yemen News Agency

The State of Kuwait called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), provide it with the information it requires, and implement all the provisions of their joint statement.

This came a statement delivered by Kuwait’s Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Delegate to UN Organizations in Vienna Talal Al-Fassam at the regular session of the IAEA Board of Governors on Wednesday.

The Kuwaiti envoy commended the important IAEA roles, especially in implementing the comprehensive safeguards system under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Ambassador Al-Fassam highlighted IAEA Director General’s statement in his report to the Agency about Iran where he stressed that Iran must resolve the outstanding issues to help the IAEA assure the peaceful nature of its nuclear program.

The Kuwaiti Ambassador delivered another statement before the IAEA Board of Governors regarding the issue of verification and monitoring nuclear activities in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light
of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

In his statement, he said that the report issued by the IAEA Director General on August 29, 2024 indicated that the Agency has lost continuity of knowledge in relation to the production and inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water and uranium ore concentrate since Iran stopped implementing its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA, including provisionally applying its Additional Protocol on February 23, 2021.

Ambassador Al-Fassam reiterated that the State of Kuwait’s firm stance that every country has the right to produce, develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

He, however, called on Iran to continue working with the Agency and fully adhere to the issued Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

He voiced Kuwait’s hope that Iran would ratify and implement the Additional Protocol so that the Agency would be able to provide credible assurances regarding the absence of undeclared n
uclear materials and activities in Iran and ensure its status as a non-nuclear-weapon state.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

Two brothers have been killed by Israeli occupation airstrike which targeted a motorbike in Bayada Village, south Lebanon, Lebanese Health Ministry’s emergency center announced on Wednesday.

Israeli occupation phosphorus bombing on Khiam village suffocated a citizen and was hospitalized for treatment, it added in a separate statement.

Israeli occupation warplanes carried out an airstrike on Ayta ash Shab Village and another one on the outskirts of Marwahin Town, National News Agency (NNA) reported.

It added that Israeli artillery bombarded some towns, including Blida and Khiam.

The agency quoted Lebanon’s resistance as saying that its fighters targeted Israeli occupation’s Zaoura military base with a barrage of Katyusha rockets.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

GAZA: A number of civilians were killed and others were injured on Wednesday evening in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a school sheltering displaced people in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip.

According to medical sources, at least nine civilians were killed, mostly children and women, and many more were injured in an Israeli air raid that targeted the al-Jaouni school, where displaced people are seeking shelter.

On 10 August, more than 100 civilians were killed and 150 others were injured in an Israeli rocket shelling fired directly against displaced civilians at Al-Rabeen school in the al-Daraj neighborhood in eastern Gaza City.

Also on August 4, At least 30 civilians were killed and dozens others were injured, mostly children, in the occupation’s bombardment of the Nasr and Hassan Salama schools west of Gaza City.

On August 3rd, 16 civilians were killed and others were injured in an Israeli bombing that targeted the Hamama School in the Gaza neighborhood of Sheikh Radwan, w
here displaced persons are taking shelter.

Since the start of the occupation’s aggression on October 7, 2023, at least 41,020 civilians, mostly children and women, have been killed and some 94,925 have been injured.

Thousands of victims remain missing; either buried under the rubble or scattered on the roads, as rescue teams face tremendous difficulties in reaching them due to the continued Israeli attacks and the massive amount of debris.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced over USD 100 million in emergency food assistance to support food-insecure populations in South Sudan.

Through the US Department of Agriculture Commodity Credit Corporation allocation, this funding will help to purchase, ship, and distribute approximately 42,000 metric tons of food commodities from American farmers to approximately one million people experiencing acute food insecurity in South Sudan, the Agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

USAID, the lead federal coordinator for international disaster assistance, will help distribute these commodities to those in greatest need.

South Sudan is experiencing compounding crises that have generated humanitarian needs across the country, according to the statement. With millions of South Sudanese in need of food assistance and other life-saving aid due to continued conflict, worsening seasonal flooding, the arrival of approximately 800,000 refugees and returnees from the war in Sudan, and other
shocks driving humanitarian needs, the humanitarian crisis in the country is growing. These commodities are one more way the US is working to meet people’s needs by providing emergency food assistance for the most food-insecure people in South Sudan, the statement noted.

“This additional funding brings the total U.S. government’s life-saving assistance in South Sudan to nearly USD 609 million to date in fiscal year 2024. “The United States continues to stand with the people of South Sudan during this critical time of increasing humanitarian needs and calls on other donors to join us in our efforts to save lives and alleviate suffering,” it added.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

AMMAN: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said as children prepare for their first year and first day at school across several countries in the Middle East, at least 45,000 six-year-old children in the Gaza Strip are deprived of this right. ‘The vast majority of them have been displaced from their homes and are facing a daily battle for survival.’

The new school year was due to start across the State of Palestine today, but it has not resumed in the Gaza Strip where the intense conflict continues to take a dramatic toll on Gaza’s students, teachers and schools. The first graders join 625,000 children who have already been denied an entire school year, and with the conflict still ongoing, face the high risk of a second year without education, said in UNICEF in a statement issued on Monday.

‘Children in the Gaza Strip have lost their homes, family members, friends, safety, and routine,’ said UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Director, Adele Khodr. ‘They have also lost the sanctuary and sti
mulation provided by school, putting their bright futures at risk of being dimmed by this terrible conflict.’

Since October 2023, every school in the Gaza Strip has been shuttered. Among the students who were unable to learn last year are 39,000 students who missed their final year of school and couldn’t take their Tawjihi exams. This marks the first time in decades that a graduating class in the Strip has faced such a situation, said the release.

For older children, the disruption to their education has created uncertainty and anxiety. Without schooling, young people are at an increased risk of exploitation, child labor, early marriage, and other forms of abuse, and most importantly they are at risk of dropping out of school permanently, it added.

As for younger children, the absence of schooling threatens their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Parents are reporting significant mental health and psychosocial impacts among children, including feelings of increased frustration and isolation, sa
id UNICEF.

Children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem are also affected as the school year starts. Increasing violence and movement restrictions since October 2023 have created new learning barriers for the 782,000 students there. Data from the Ministry of Education and the Education Cluster suggests that, on any day since October 2023, between 8 and 20 percent of schools in the West Bank have been closed. Even when schools are not closed, the fear of violence, movement restrictions, and mental health concerns have led many students to skip school, leading to more learning loss.

In both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, attacks on schools and education have increased in recent weeks. In the Gaza Strip, at least 84 percent of schools require full reconstruction or significant rehabilitation before schooling can resume. In the West Bank including East Jerusalem, there have been 69 attacks on schools and 2,354 incidents affecting schools, students and teachers in or around sc
hools, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Education.

In the State of Palestine, UNICEF’s education program faces an 88 percent funding gap, said the release.

To respond to this situation, UNICEF and its partners have established 39 Temporary Learning Spaces in the Gaza Strip serving over 12,400 students. In addition, recreational activities, emergency learning kits, and Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support (MHPSS) are being offered to children, youth, caregivers, and teachers in shelters.

‘We must find ways to restart learning and rebuild schools to uphold the right to education of the next generations in the State of Palestine,’ Khodr continued ‘Children need stability to cope with the trauma they have experienced, and the opportunity to develop and reach their full potential,’ Khodr continued.

‘All barriers preventing us from doing our important work must be lifted. We must urgently be able to bring education and recreational supplies into Gaza at scale, have safe spaces to run learning hubs, a
nd have guarantees students and teachers can safely access, live, or learn in school buildings. Above all else, we need a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a de-escalation in the West Bank so all children can return to the classroom and damaged schools can be rebuilt,’ he added.

‘Lack of access to education is impacting children’s mental health, safety and development and risking their prospects,’ said the release.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune hailed Wednesday the strong and deeply-rooted Algerian-Kuwaiti relations and underlined the need for strengthening them further.

President Tebboune made this remark during his reception of the outgoing Kuwaiti Ambassador to his country Mohammad Al-Shabou, according to a statement issued by the Algerian Presidency today.

He affirmed the peculiarity of the bonds linking him with His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

For his part, Ambassador Al-Shabou said that the meeting also tackled means to expanding cooperation in all domains.

He pointed out that the Algerian leader stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation particularly in the economic and trade sectors to serve the interest of the two nations.

On Tuesday, the Kuwaiti Ambassador Al-Shabou paid a farewell visit to Algeria’s People’s National Assembly (APN) where he was welcomed by the chief lawmaker Brahim Boughali.

The meeting highlighted th
e strong fraternal relations between Algeria and Kuwait, which have been built on bilateral cooperation and mutual respect.

Boughali also expressed gratitude for Kuwait’s support of Algeria’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2024-2025 term.

Source: Kuwait News Agency