January 2, 2024

Pakistani security forces on Sunday killed three terrorists trying to infiltrate the Pak-Af­ghan border in Bajaur district of Khyber-Pak­htunkhwa, said the me­dia wing of the military. The ISPR said that on 31 December 2023, movement of three ter­rorists, who were trying to infiltrate the Pak-Af­ghan border, was picked up by the security forces in general area Batwar of Bajaur District in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. “After fire exchange, all three terrorists were sent to hell,” said the ISPR and added that weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed terrorists. In another incident on night between 30/31 December, according to the ISPR, terrorists from inside Afghani­stan, opened fire on a Pakistani Border Post in general area Spin­wam, North Waziristan District. The Pakistani troops responded in a befitting manner caus­ing considerable loss to the terrorists. However, during the exchange of fire, Naik Abdul Rauf (31), resident of district Rahim Yar Khan, having fought gallantly, got mar­tyred. Pakistan has consis­tently been asking the in­terim Afghan government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border. The Afghan gov­ernment is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by terror­ists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan, the ISPR concluded. Source:https://www.nation.com.pk/01-Jan-2024/pak-security-forces-kill-3-terrorists-at-afghan-border

Hundreds have been evacuated from a Japan Airlines plane after it burst into flames at Tokyo International Airport, also known as Haneda. The plane was reportedly involved in a collision with another aircraft after landing on Tuesday, according to local news reports. NHK TV reported that all passengers on board, believed to have been about 400 people, got out safely. end of list Japan Airlines (JAL) said it believed its plane was hit by another aircraft, possibly a Japan Coast Guard plane. A spokesperson for the airport said all runways were currently closed. Local TV video showed a large eruption of fire and smoke from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied on a runway. The area around the wing then caught fire. Passengers were then shown leaving the aircraft via an emergency chute. Later video showed fire crews working to put out the blaze with streams of water. The flames had spread to much of the plane. An explosive fireball could then be seen with the aircraft badly damaged. There was initially no information about possible casualties. A spokesperson at JAL said the aircraft originated from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido. The airline later confirmed that 379 passengers and crew had safely evacuated. Advertisement AD Haneda is one of the busiest airports in Japan, and many people travel over the New Year holidays. Japan’s Coast Guard said it is checking reports about a collision between its aircraft and the JAL flight. It had no further details. Citing local news outlet Nippon TV, journalist Patrick Fok told Al Jazeera that the coast guard plane was in the middle of sending aid to Niigata, a city on the west coast, as part of rescue efforts following Monday’s earthquake. “This really has been a troubling two days and the start of the year for people in Japan,” he added. Alex Macheras, an aviation analyst, said it was still “very early” in terms of trying to grasp what exactly happened. “As is often the case with such incidents, what it appears [to be the case] in the first couple of minutes and hours, can be very different to what actually happened, and what we learn later in the investigation process,” he told Al Jazeera. SOurceL Hundreds have been evacuated from a Japan Airlines plane after it burst into flames at Tokyo International Airport, also known as Haneda. The plane was reportedly involved in a collision with another aircraft after landing on Tuesday, according to local news reports. NHK TV reported that all passengers on board, believed to have been about 400 people, got out safely. end of list Japan Airlines (JAL) said it believed its plane was hit by another aircraft, possibly a Japan Coast Guard plane. A spokesperson for the airport said all runways were currently closed. Local TV video showed a large eruption of fire and smoke from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied on a runway. The area around the wing then caught fire. Passengers were then shown leaving the aircraft via an emergency chute. Later video showed fire crews working to put out the blaze with streams of water. The flames had spread to much of the plane. An explosive fireball could then be seen with the aircraft badly damaged. There was initially no information about possible casualties. A spokesperson at JAL said the aircraft originated from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido. The airline later confirmed that 379 passengers and crew had safely evacuated. Advertisement AD Haneda is one of the busiest airports in Japan, and many people travel over the New Year holidays. Japan’s Coast Guard said it is checking reports about a collision between its aircraft and the JAL flight. It had no further details. Citing local news outlet Nippon TV, journalist Patrick Fok told Al Jazeera that the coast guard plane was in the middle of sending aid to Niigata, a city on the west coast, as part of rescue efforts following Monday’s earthquake. “This really has been a troubling two days and the start of the year for people in Japan,” he added. Alex Macheras, an aviation analyst, said it was still “very early” in terms of trying to grasp what exactly happened. “As is often the case with such incidents, what it appears [to be the case] in the first couple of minutes and hours, can be very different to what actually happened, and what we learn later in the investigation process,” he told Al Jazeera. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/2/plane-catches-fire-on-runway-at-japans-haneda-airport

Fifteen people were killed in an Israeli strike on a home in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. At least five Palestinians killed as Israeli raids continue across occupied West Bank. A Palestinian prisoner becomes the seventh to die in an Israeli jail since October 7; Palestinian groups slam the death as an “assassination”. At least 22,185 people killed and at least 57,000 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll from the October 7 attack in Israel stands at 1,139. Israel loses ‘carte blanche’ on Gaza carnage With at least 22,000 Palestinians massacred in Gaza, Israel has lost its “carte blanche” from Western allies, according to Adel Abdel Ghafar, a senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs. “As scenes of carnage, displaced populations, dead children and starvation fill our screens, the tide is really shifting,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that massive pro-Palestinian rallies across Europe and the US have exerted pressure on politicians, with some European countries like Belgium changing their tone on Gaza and calling for a ceasefire, something Israel has firmly rejected. “It’s also very interesting to keep an eye on US politics given that this is an election year and Biden’s ratings are down. This will factor into his calculus in this new year.” Click here to share on social media Field executions of Palestinians ‘the act of gangs’: Ministry The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has condemned the Israeli field executions of Palestinians as “the act of gangs, not a state claiming democracy”. In a statement, it called on Israel to promptly reveal undisclosed detention facilities and give information on the identities and wellbeing of individuals captured from the Gaza Strip. “The behaviour of the [Israeli] occupation soldiers reflects the nature of instructions and facilities by the Israeli political and military levels to shoot at Palestinians, commit massacres and mass murder by bombing and starvation in the Gaza Strip for the 88th consecutive day,” the ministry said. Click here to share on social media Photos: Palestinian man loses wife, children and grandchildren in Israeli attack Palestinian man Hamada Abu Sleyma lost his wife, all his six children and two grandchildren in an Israeli attack that destroyed his house in Rafah, southern Gaza. [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] Click here to share on social media Hamas targets Israeli army in Bureij refugee camp The Qassam Brigades says its fighters clashed with an Israeli force on foot from a close distance, east of Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, and “eliminated” it. Earlier, the Qassam Brigades also said that it had targeted an Israeli Merkava tank with a Yassin 105 shell east of the Bureij camp. Click At least 200 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in last 24 hours Israeli forces carried out 15 attacks and killed 207 Palestinians in the past 24 hours in Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry said while adding that 338 people were also wounded. The total number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since October 7 now stands at 22,185. At least 57,000 have been wounded. Additionally, more than 320 Palestinians have also been killed across the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers since October 7. A Palestinian child looks at the graves of people killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip and buried inside al-Shifa Hospital grounds in Gaza City [Mohammed Hajjar/AP Photo] Click Latest casualty figures Gaza Killed: 22,185 Wounded: 57,035 Occupied West Bank Killed: 324 Wounded: 3,800 Israel Killed on October 7: 1,139 (revised down from 1,400) Soldiers killed since the ground invasion: 173 Wounded: 965 Israeli army confirms strikes in Syria and Lebanon The Israeli military has confirmed that it has struck targets in Syria and Lebanon. In a post on X, it said it struck “military infrastructure belonging to the Syrian army” and used its jets to target infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah in Lebanon. The army promised it “will continue to operate against any threat to Israel’s sovereignty”. Gaza can be divided into areas ruled by tribes or clans: Report A post-war scenario in Gaza has come to light, according to which the Israeli army could divide the coastal enclave into areas ruled by Palestinian tribes or clans rather than a single political entity, Israeli public broadcaster KAN 11 reported. According to the plan, the clans would be tasked with the civil administration of the Gaza Strip and would oversee the distribution of humanitarian aid for a temporary period. According to KAN 11, the plan was devised by the Israeli army and is expected to be presented to the war cabinet later today. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/2/israel-hamas-war-live-almost-22000-palestinians-killed-by-israel-in-gaza