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Mumbai, India – Driving through the Mira Road neighbourhood of Mumbai was a usual affair for 21-year-old Mohammad Tariq, who ran errands on his father’s white loading auto carrier. But on Tuesday, participants in a Hindu nationalist rally stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road. Young boys – mostly teenagers – dragged him out. They punched and kicked him and thrashed him with batons, flag staffs and iron chains, his 54-year-old father, Abdul Haque told Al Jazeera. Since then, Haque said, “[Tariq] has been terrified.” end of list The rally, which was shared over multiple live streams, turned into a mob, targeting several Muslims in the locality, rampaging through their shops and damaging vehicles while chanting “Jai Shri Ram” (Victory to Lord Ram). Similar rallies, often to the beat of booming far-right pop music, took place outside mosques and Muslim neighbourhoods across several states in India. The trigger was the consecration of a Ram temple in the ancient city of Ayodhya in northern India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. The temple is being built on the site where the 16th century Babri Masjid stood until 1992, when Hindu far-right mobs tore down the mosque, triggering nationwide riots that killed more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. Addressing the country from Ayodhya, Modi said that the “wheel of time” had turned, rejecting criticism over the increased religious tensions that have been simmering in India since he came to power in 2014. “Ram is not a problem but a solution,” he said. “We are laying the foundation of India for the next 1,000 years. We take a pledge to build a capable, grand, divine India from this moment.” Yet, as India celebrates its Republic Day on January 26, the inauguration of the temple, the Indian state’s role in it, and the violence and vandalism that religious minorities have faced since then are, to many, markers of a country that has moved away from the Constitution adopted this day in 1950. Soon after the consecration, a Muslim graveyard was set ablaze in the north Indian state of Bihar, a Muslim man was paraded naked in southern India, and a saffron flag representing militant Hinduism – was hoisted atop a church in central India. “This country is increasingly unrecognisable to me, where Muslims are like rubbish for them,” said Haque, on his way to a police station with his son after the Tuesday attack. “There were so many people [during the Mira Road attack] but no one stopped them from beating my child. It is shameful for society. It is a city of the blind.” ‘High priest of Hinduism’ The national broadcast of the temple inauguration, including the unveiling of the idol of Ram, brought India to a halt on Monday morning. Large LED screens were set up in villages, and people gathered at temples with their families to watch the ceremony live. Polarising speeches by Modi and his colleagues were broadcast in cinema theatres and on YouTube. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, an author and Modi’s biographer, noted that the event cast the prime minister as “the high priest of Hinduism”. “This is the origin of a new time cycle,” Modi said. “A nation rising after breaking the mentality of slavery … a thousand years from now, people will talk about this date, this moment. The Ram temple’s construction reflects Indian society’s maturity.” The union cabinet adopted a resolution to applaud the opening of the temple, stating that the country had “independence in 1947, but its soul was freed from centuries of colonial enslavement” on January 22. However, his critics say that the event was political, rather than a religious one. “It was more about Modi than Ram – a total instrumentalisation of Ram’s figure to serve the cause of an elected monarch,” said Apoorvanand, a professor at the University of Delhi. The celebrations in Ayodhya “indicate a change in the direction of the Indian state”, he added, referring to the participation of top celebrities and saints, where state-owned helicopters showered rose petals over the city. “This temple is a celebration of victory of violence against Muslims and it has been legitimised. Modi linked the source of nationhood to divinity [of Ram]; all values of the Indian republic stand destroyed.” India has been continuously slipping in international democracy indices and was tagged “partly free” for the third year in a row by Freedom House, a US government-funded nonprofit. Human Rights Watch warned last year of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) “systematic discrimination and stigmatisation of religious and other minorities, particularly Muslims”. The chest-thumping rise of Hindu nationalism and apparent departure from secular values also pose troubling questions for India’s international allies, especially in the West, who have strengthened ties with New Delhi in recent years and view it as a counterweight to China. “Modi has now positioned India to become a Hindu state in a formal sense, a move that would be welcomed by his large base but decried by many non-Hindus and critics as a betrayal of India’s secular traditions,” said Michael Kugelman, the director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute. Won’t ‘satiate the bloodlust’ Modi and the BJP appear poised for a comfortable win in the upcoming 2024 national election, according to most polls and many political observers. The PM did not need the temple opening to bolster his electoral prospects, said Kugelman, but the consecration gives him another shot in the arm. “He delivered on one of his most longstanding promises and has come through in a big way that will ripple across his electoral base – and beyond,” he added. But the construction of the temple will fail to “satiate the bloodlust” of the Hindu nationalist movement that went mainstream with the demolition of the mosque in Ayodhya in 1992, argued Apoorvanand. After the ceremony, he saw slogans being raised in his university for the demolition of other mosques contested by the far-right in the cities of Mathura and Varanasi. “There is no closure to all of this,” he said, adding that the temple

At least 183 people have been killed and 377 wounded throughout the enclave in 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Refugee camps and public facilities across Khan Younis relentlessly targeted by Israeli artillery shelling as snipers shoot at Palestinians leaving al-Amal Hospital. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will rule on South Africa’s request for “provisional measures” against Israel over its alleged genocide in Gaza; the top UN court could order Israel to halt its offensive against the Palestinian territory. At least 26,083 people have been killed and 64,487 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139. Siege on Nasser Hospital continues for fifth day Ashraf al-Qudra, the spokesman for the health ministry in the Gaza Strip, said that the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis has completely run out of food, anaesthetics, and painkillers as a result of the occupation’s siege imposed on it for the fifth day. “There are 150 health personnel, 350 patients, and hundreds of displaced families in the Nasser Medical Complex in catastrophic conditions of starvation, targeting, and lack of treatment,” al-Qudra said. Click If you’re just joining us It’s just after 11:30am (09:30 GMT) in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel. Here’s a recap of recent developments: Israeli forces ramp up deadly attacks on Khan Younis as they encircle the city’s two remaining hospitals. At least 183 Palestinians were killed and 377 injured in Gaza in 24 hours as the death toll there surpasses 26,000. The ICJ will soon deliver a ruling in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. You can follow our live coverage here. Senior officials from Qatar, Israel, the US and Egypt will hold a “critical” meeting in Europe in the next few days. Israeli military demolished hundreds of buildings near its fence with Gaza as it seeks to create a “buffer zone” in clear defiance of US demands. Palestinians dig graves to bury their relatives who were killed this week in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis [Mohammed Dahman/AP Photo] Click ‘Shame’: Protesters call for ceasefire at UK Labour Party event Several protesters interrupted a UK Labour Party event in Manchester, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. A man, who said he had lost his mother and several other family members in Gaza, confronted member of parliament Angela Raynor as she was speaking and showed pictures of his killed loved ones. “Why are you not demanding a ceasefire?” he shouted before being taken away by security. “Women and children dead, Angela Rayner, and you call yourself a modern-day feminist, I don’t think so,” a woman told the lawmaker before being taken away. Israeli snipers shoot two brothers leaving al-Amal Hospital Among the casualties of Israeli sniper attacks, we’ve seen two brothers who were walking out of the facility of al-Amal Hospital. They were shot by the sniper despite the fact that one of them was carrying a white flag. This is another reminder that Palestinian civilians are not protected. It has become very difficult for people to find their way out of the city of Khan Younis. The city is increasingly dangerous. The snipers are shooting at every moving object as people are trying to leave the facilities, seeking shelters elsewhere in the city or trying to find a way out of Khan Younis for a safer refuge. Israeli military confirms land, air, sea attacks on Gaza continue The Israeli military has confirmed that it is continuing to target areas across the Gaza Strip with combined land, air and sea assaults. It says its air force targeted operational centres, weapons storage facilities, observation posts and an anti-tank post belonging to Palestinian fighters and said its navy struck a number of targets along the coastline. Avichay Adraee, the military’s spokesman for Arab media, confirmed that heavy fighting is ongoing in Khan Younis in the south but made no mention of ongoing Israeli attacks on hospitals and shelters in the area, which have forced many displaced Palestinians to be uprooted once more. Families of Israeli captives block Gaza aid for third day in a row: Reports Families of captives held in Gaza and other protesters are holding a demonstration at the Israeli-controlled Karem Abu Salem crossing – called Kerem Shalom in Israel – to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza for a third day in a row, according to multiple Israeli media reports. Hundreds more protesters are expected to arrive at the border crossing throughout the day, according to Israeli media. The message of the protesters is that no humanitarian aid should be allowed into the besieged Gaza Strip until all remaining captives are freed and returned to Israel. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/26/israels-war-on-gaza-live-icj-to-rule-on-south-africas-genocide-case

Responding to queries regarding the army deployment for the February 8 poll security, caretaker Sindh Home Minister Brigadier (retd) Haris Nawaz clarified Wednesday that security personnel would not be allowed to enter the premises of the polling booths. Haris reiterated that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has a core responsibility to hold general elections and the administrations were only assisting. The caretaker minister, speaking to journalists in Karachi, detailed that only Rangers personnel can be summoned inside the booth if needed, however, no security official will be deployed inside the polling booths. “There is a complete ban in place on the exhibition of arms during polls. Police contingents will also be deployed outside the polling stations, whereas, lady health staffers will perform election duties at the women’s polling booths.” He urged the higher authorities to envisage a fool-proof mechanism to avoid any kind of trouble during the electoral event. Regarding the security expenditures, Haris said that there was no shortage of monetary resources to the concerned departments as the provincial government has already disbursed funds to the law enforcement agencies (LEAs), including police, Rangers, as well as schools. He further elaborated on the number of highly sensitive areas across the province ahead of the February 8 polls. “There are 5,954 normal polling stations and more than 12,000 sensitive and very sensitive polling stations. Overall, 122,000 police officials and 1,984 Pakistan Army soldiers will be deployed for election security. To a question, he admitted that there were security threats to the authorities during the conduct of the polls, however, maximum steps were being taken to maintain the law and order situation. “Additionally, services of the anti-corruption, forest departments, Frontier Corps (FC) and lady health workers will be acquired,” he added. The Sindh home minister said that the government was making all-out efforts to conduct transparent and impartial elections. He also announced that solar systems would be provided to those polling stations with no electricity connections besides installing cameras to strictly monitor the polling process. A day earlier, the caretaker federal cabinet approved a summary seeking the deployment of the Pakistan Army and troops of civil armed forces to help the civil institutions hold free, fair, and peaceful general elections — slated to be held on February 8. “The troops will perform duties in sensitive constituencies and polling stations and will also act as a rapid response force,” read a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) also issued its “Code of Conduct for Security Personnel” on Friday, warning them against bias while being on election duty. The ECP’s protocol, which excludes the Armed Forces and Civil Armed Forces, directs the LEAs to perform their duties in accordance with the law and within the confines of the mandate assigned to the police. Owing to concerns regarding the law and order situation on February 8, Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar formed a high-level committee to oversee security for the polls. The seven-member committee, headed by Federal Minister for Communications, Railways, and Maritime Affairs Shahid Ashraf Tarar, includes the Ministry of Interior’s secretary and the chief secretaries of all four provinces. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1150935-election-2024-security-personnel-to-be-barred-from-entering-polling-booths

Comments come after Russia accused Ukraine of shooting down transport plane killing 65 Ukrainian POWs on board. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of “playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners” over the crash of a military transport plane that Moscow blamed on Ukraine. The Ilyushin Il-76 came down in the Russian border region of Belgorod on Wednesday, killing everyone on board. end of list The Russian Ministry of Defence said 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) were on the plane in preparation for a prisoner swap, as well as six Russian crew and three Russian soldiers. “It is obvious that the Russians are playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners, with the feelings of their relatives and with the emotions of our society,” Zelenskyy said in his Wednesday evening address. He did not confirm or deny Russia’s claims, but said it had been a “very difficult day”. “We need to establish all the clear facts. As much as possible, given that the downing of the plane occurred on Russian territory, which is beyond our control,” he said. According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the plane was hit as it was travelling from a military aerodrome near Moscow to Belgorod. Close to the border with Ukraine, Belgorod has been targeted in recent weeks by Ukrainian air strikes. The ministry claimed, without offering evidence, that radars had detected the launch of two Ukrainian missiles. “On board were 65 captured Ukrainian army servicemen being transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, six crew members and three escorts,” state news agency RIA Novosti quoted the defence ministry as saying. It did not provide any evidence for the claim. A few hours afterwards, the Ukrainian military said it had noticed more Russian military transport aircraft landing in Belgorod, something it linked to continued Russian missile strikes on Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities. “Ukraine has the right to defend itself and destroy the means of the aggressors’ aerial attack,” said Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk. The Kremlin told reporters that it was investigating the reports on the plane, as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, saying Russia aimed to establish “the reasons behind the Ukrainian criminal act”. A French spokesperson at the UN said the meeting would be held at 5pm (22:00 GMT) on Thursday. Zelenskyy also called for an international investigation into the crash. No request on airspace security Ukraine’s intelligence agency said in a statement it had no “reliable or comprehensive information” on who was on board the plane or in what number”. Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, said that an exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine had been prepared for Wednesday, Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne reported, citing Radio Free Europe, a media outlet based in the Czech Republic. A church service being held in Russia for those killed when the Ilyushin Il-76 crashed [AFP] Yusov added that the prisoner exchange would not be going ahead. Military intelligence also said that Ukraine had not been asked to ensure airspace security around Belgorod in contrast to previous swaps and had not been informed about what means of transport would be used and which routes. “On this basis, we may be talking about planned and deliberate actions by Russia to destabilise the situation in Ukraine and weaken international support for our state,” it said in a statement on Telegram. A video posted on Telegram by Baza, a channel linked to Russian security services, showed a large aircraft falling and exploding in a fireball. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on social media that investigators and emergency workers had already arrived at a site in the Korochansky, a district in Belgorod Oblast. “The plane fell in a field near a populated area. Everyone on board died,” Gladkov said on his Telegram channel. The Il-76 is designed to airlift troops, cargo, military equipment and weapons. It usually has a crew of five and can carry as many as 90 passengers. Kharkiv and Kyiv came under Russian aerial assault on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people. In December, Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out a “terrorist attack” on civilians in the city of Belgorod, after 25 people were killed. Last week, the Kremlin accused Kyiv of killing 27 people in an attack on the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Ukraine has denied the claim. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/24/russian-military-plane-crashes-near-ukraine-border

Ministry of Health in Gaza says staff digging graves in grounds of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis amid siege; “No one can enter or exit the facility”: UN report. Countries and international agencies denounce a reported attack by Israeli tank fire that killed at least 9 people at a UN-run training centre housing displaced people in Khan Younis. Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reports Israeli forces have imposed a “complete curfew” around al-Amal Hospital as Israel continues its assault on Khan Younis. International Court of Justice (ICJ) will issue a decision on Friday in South Africa’s case against Israel over alleged genocide in Gaza. At least 25,700 people have been killed and 63,740 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139. UK tells Israel: ‘Far more aid’ needs to enter Gaza British Foreign Secretary David Cameron says he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more aid trucks must be allowed to enter Gaza and an immediate “humanitarian pause” in fighting is needed. Cameron, on a visit to the Middle East, announced Britain and Qatar are working together to get more humanitarian relief into Gaza. A first consignment of tents will be flown into Egypt on Thursday before travelling by road to Gaza. “The scale of suffering in Gaza is unimaginable. More must be done, faster, to help people trapped in this desperate situation,” Cameron said. “We have trebled our assistance for Gaza… But our efforts will only make a difference if aid gets to those who need it most. “As I said to Netanyahu … far more trucks need to be able to enter Gaza and more crossings need to open. We need an immediate humanitarian pause to get aid in and hostages out, followed by a sustainable ceasefire.” David Cameron, right, with Benjamin Netanyahu [File: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters] Click here to share on social media Israel says infiltration threat on Lebanon border ‘removed’ The Israeli military says that concerns over an infiltration threat near the settlement of Hanita on the Lebanon border are now over. “Following reports of the identification of a suspect in the Hanita area on the Lebanese border, after scans by [Israeli military] forces in the area, the fear of infiltration was removed,” the Israeli military wrote on X. The Israeli military mobilised troops and declared a state of alert in nine settlements near the Lebanese border this morning after reports that armed individuals had infiltrated the country. Click here to share on social media PRCS transports wounded to hospital after Rafah bombing The Palestine Red Crescent Society says it has transported several people to hospital who were injured by an Israeli air attack on an apartment building in Rafah city in southern Gaza. At least one person was killed in the strike, which happened at dawn in the Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood. Iran president calls for ‘cutting the lifelines’ with Israel Ebrahim Raisi says the conflict in Gaza shows the United Nations and other world bodies have lost their effectiveness. He called on Muslim countries and other nations to unite for a new “fair world order”. Raisi demanded the political and economic isolation of Israel, saying “cutting the lifelines” would be an effective way of ending “Israel’s oppression and murders”. Israel will be the “defeated party” in the war in Gaza, he added. Ebrahim Raisi meets Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday [Handout: Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidential Press Office via Reuters] Click here to share on social media WATCH: Prisoners’ families allege unjust arrests and interrogated by Israeli army Since October 7, Israeli forces have arrested more than 6,000 people in the occupied West Bank and placed them in administrative detention without any formal charges or trial. Israeli forces are increasingly using a policy of arresting the family members of wanted people to pressure them to give them up. Rights groups say this is a form of collective punishment that’s illegal under international human rights law. Netanyahu vs Qatar: Relationship over Gaza not ‘problematic’ for years Stefanie Dekker Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem We need to remind ourselves that any leak from inside the Israeli Prime Minister’s office isn’t usually by chance. It’s leaked for a political reason – what that is you can only question. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under a lot of pressure domestically and internationally to do more to bring the captives home. Tens of thousands of Israelis are on the streets protesting. The reaction from Qatar to Netanyahu’s “problematic” accusation is very harsh – this seems to be serving the prime minister’s political career more than working to bring back the captives and save innocent lives. Also important to remember is Israel and Qatar have a longstanding relationship when it comes to Hamas. Over the years Qatar has brought money into Gaza – at the request and cooperation of the Israelis in particular – to try and keep the situation there from exploding, according to analysts over the years, because of the restrictions and blockade. A protester flashes a message in Hebrew reading ‘there is no time’ during a rally to release captives in Gaza [Ahmad Gharabli/AFP] Click here to share on social media Israel demolishing buildings to create Gaza buffer zone: Report The Israeli military demolished hundreds of buildings in Gaza within 1km (0.6 miles) of the fence as it seeks to create a buffer zone, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing a new Hebrew University study. The study, carried out using satellite-image analysis, shows 40 percent of the 2,824 buildings in Gaza located within 1km of the border have been razed since October 7. “Everything has been flattened. It was mostly agriculture. Now it’s a military zone, a complete no man’s land,” one soldier is quoted as saying. Near the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, a densely populated area that suffered intense bombardment by Israel’s military for weeks, 67 percent of buildings within 1km of Israel’s demarcation have been destroyed. The move is likely to further

At least four people have been killed and 11 wounded in an attack on Ukraine’s second largest of Kharkiv that destroyed a section of a multistorey residential building, officials say. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine says one person has been killed and another wounded in a Russian missile strike on Dnipropetrovsk region’s Pavlohrad city, while an attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, injured 20. Japan, US agree to maintain sanctions on Russia and support Ukraine Japan and the United States have said they will continue to work with each other in maintaining the sanctions against Russia and supporting Ukraine in line with an agreement the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations reached last year. The statements came during an hourlong meeting between visiting US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo and Japan’s Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs Masato Kanda. The G7, comprising Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and the European Union, had pledged in May to restrict exports to Russia that could fund its war effort in Ukraine. Japan chaired the group in 2023. Click here to share on social media Living in peace with Russia in Ukrainians’ interest: Patriarch Kirill Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who is seen as an ally of President Vladimir Putin, says attempts by “cynical political strategists” to drive a wedge into relations between the fraternal peoples of Russia and Ukraine “will be assessed in the court of world history”. “Today it is becoming increasingly clear that it is in the interests of the people of Ukraine to live in peace with Russia, to share a common history, culture and faith with it,” he said. The head of the Russian church was speaking at the Christmas parliamentary meetings in the Federation Council. He referred to Ukraine as “Little Russia”. Click here to share on social media EU to allow wider measures to control Ukraine grain imports The European Commission is looking into ways of allowing eastern EU member states to restrict farm imports from Ukraine as it extends trade liberalisation with Kyiv for a further year to June 2025. The EU has suspended import duties, quotas and trade defence measures for imports from Ukraine since June 2022 to support its economy after Russia’s invasion. However, cheap Ukrainian grain exports have sparked protests by governments, farmers and truckers in neighbouring countries such as Poland and Hungary. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the commission was about to present a proposal for the new period to June 2025, taking into account the sensitivities of farm sectors in eastern member states of the bloc. Click here to share on social media Russia does not hit civilians, unlike Ukraine: Kremlin spokesperson claims The Russian missile strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv cannot be considered a response to “the terrorist act” of the Ukrainian air attack on the Donetsk market, Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Our military does not hit social facilities and residential areas and does not hit civilians, unlike the Kyiv regime,” the Kremlin spokesperson claimed, adding that this was what fundamentally distinguished the Russian military from the Ukrainian military. Click here to share on social media Russia says missile strikes targeted weapons factories The strikes that reportedly killed civilians and destroyed residential homes across Ukraine targeted the facilities that produce missiles, ammunition and explosives, Russia’s Defence Ministry has claimed. “This morning, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a group strike with high-precision, long-range air and ground-based weapons on facilities of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine that produce missiles and components for them, ammunition, as well as explosives,” the ministry said. “The goal of the strike was achieved. All designated facilities were hit,” it added. Click here to share on social media Russia begins installing air defence systems around St Petersburg: Report Russian authorities have begun installing S-300 air defence systems around St Petersburg, according to the independent Astra Press news outlet. The news comes five days after Ukrainian drones successfully struck military targets in the surrounding Leningrad Oblast. Astra Press reports cited a video filmed by St Petersburg residents who noticed the deployment of the S-300 air defence missile system in the region. The video posted on the Telegram channel of Astra Press appeared to show a vehicle carrying one of the systems obstructing a roadway while attempting to manoeuvre. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/23/russia-ukraine-war-live-at-least-3-killed-in-attack-on-kyiv-kharkiv

Israel’s military announces its deadliest single day for troops since the Gaza ground invasion began with 24 soldiers killed. Doctors Without Borders reports staff in Nasser Hospital say they can feel the “ground shaking” as Israeli bombardments close in. The US and the UK launch new air attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen, hitting capital Sanaa and other areas. At least 25,490 people killed and 63,000 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attack stands at 1,139. Israeli public so far shielded from the real cost of war Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King’s College London’s School of Security Studies, spoke to Al Jazeera about how Israelis might respond to news that their army suffered the most casualties in a single day since the Gaza ground invasion began. Here is a summary of what he said: The Israeli public has so far been shielded from the real cost of this war. The burden of warfare has been shifted by the Israeli military onto the civilian population in Gaza. What we see now is that as this war is coming to a stalemate, it seems the Israeli armed forces are extremely vulnerable to targeting. It also shows that Hamas has not been defeated. A single incident such as this in a fairly small country like Israel will have quite a lot of impact on the collective psyche of Israelis and put pressure on the government to bring this war to an end and potentially accelerate negotiations. Click here to share on social media Over half a million Palestinians face ‘catastrophic hunger’ The United Nations Relief Works and Agency (UNRWA) says that more than half a million people in Gaza face catastrophic hunger. In the northern part of the besieged enclave, very little aid has reached residents and displaced families there, who have begun to grind animal feed into flour. UNRWA pointed out that intense fighting, communications blackouts and access restrictions have hindered the organisation’s ability to “safely and effectively deliver aid”. Latest on Nasser Medical Complex The Health Ministry in Gaza has provided some updates on the situation at the Nasser Medical Complex as Khan Younis comes under intense Israeli bombardment. It warned that the hospital’s buildings are exposed to shrapnel, which endangers the lives of patients, medical staff and displaced Palestinians. The ministry called for an “urgent intervention” to protect both Nasser and El Amal City hospitals as well as the movement of ambulances, warning that the medical facilities were facing “extreme danger”. Click here to share on social media Risk of having pockets of famine in Gaza remains: WFP The UN’s food agency warns that “very little” food assistance has made it beyond the southern part of the bombarded and besieged territory since the start of the war. “It’s difficult to get into the places where we need to get to in Gaza, especially in northern Gaza,” said Abeer Etefa, the World Food Programme’s spokesperson for the Middle East. “The risk of having pockets of famine in Gaza is very much still there,” she added. Etefa noted that there was a “systematic limitation on getting into the north of Gaza, not just for the WFP”. “This is why we’re seeing people becoming more desperate and being impatient to wait for food distributions, because it’s very sporadic,” she said. “They don’t get it frequently, and they have no trust or confidence that these convoys will come again.” Healthcare system in Gaza is being destroyed: MSF Leo Cans, the head of mission for Palestine for Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF), has spoken to Al Jazeera about the state of the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip. Here is a summary: About 20 percent of healthcare workers are still working in the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. Most of them have had to flee because they were scared for their and their families’ lives. This is a strategy that has been used by the Israeli military to scare people, to terrorise the healthcare workers for them to leave without having to shut down the hospital. Hospitals have closed across the southern Gaza Strip, but the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis is still operating but is close to the front line. To get treatment is extremely complicated. Normally, five, six or seven operations are needed to stabilise a patient, but medical staff cannot do them now. So usually they do the first one, but then all the postoperative care is not there. Many patients’ conditions deteriorate during their stays in the European and Nasser hospitals, including by infection and not having the proper care. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/23/israels-war-on-gaza-ground-shaking-in-hospital-amid-israeli-attacks

Rescue efforts are under way in southwestern China’s mountainous Yunnan province after at least 47 people were buried in a landslide. State news agency Xinhua reported that the disaster struck just before 6am (22:00 GMT on Sunday) in the village of Liangshui, beneath the town of Tangfang in Zhenxiong County. (Al Jazeera) Authorities said rescuers were trying to find victims buried in 18 separate houses. Xinhua showed footage of men in orange jumpsuits and hard hats picking their way though piles of concrete blocks and twisted steel. There was snow on some of the rubble and on buildings that were still standing. The cause of the landslide was not immediately known. end of list Authorities said about 500 people had been evacuated. The landslide hit Liangshui Village in Yunnan province [Video obtained by Reuters] Landslides are common in Yunnan, a remote region of China where steep mountain ranges rise up into the Himalayan Plateau. China has experienced a string of natural disasters in recent months and Yunnan is among several provinces in the country’s southern region currently experiencing a cold wave and bitter temperatures near or below freezing. The landslide comes just more than a month after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the northwest between the Gansu and Qinghai provinces, killing at least 149 people and triggering heavy mudslides. Nearly 1,000 people were injured and more than 14,000 homes were destroyed. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/22/landslide-buries-47-people-in-chinas-southwestern-yunnan-province

A huge fire engulfed a shopping centre in Peshawar’s Saddar area in the early hours of Monday which was brought under control after 13 hours of continuous operation, Geo News reported citing rescue officials. The rescue officials said that 36 vehicles including water browsers and 130 firefighters were present at the shopping centre to control the fire. They added that the operation would take some time as the blaze was massive. The Time Centre Plaza, which is a two-storey building, has about 200 shops including mobile phones, UPS and other electronics shops. According to the rescue team, the fire engulfed the entire building, causing a loss of millions of rupees. Moreover, the houses that were located near the shopping centre were evacuated. The rescue officials added that teams from different districts — Khyber, Nowshera, Mardan and Charsadda — were called to the site of the incident to help in the process. Corps Commander Peshawar Lieutenant General Hasan Azhar Hayat is overseeing the operation. The rescue team said that the fire destroyed hundreds of shops. The rescue spokesperson said that the emergency call was received at 12:45am last night, adding that according to the local people, the fire was started due to a short circuit. “Four shopkeepers who had entered the market were rescued during the fire,” said the spokesperson, adding that the condition of some of the rescue officials injured during the rescue operation is “critical”. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1150277-fire-engulfs-peshawars-two-storey-building