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One person was killed and four injured during 24 hours of Russian bombardment of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the regional military administration. Local resident Elena Rodik, 62, reacts while showing her damaged apartment inside a house hit by recent shelling in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, December 12, 2023. (Reuters) Ukraine came under heavy attacks from the air and from cyberspace Tuesday, local officials said, as nearly 600 Russian shells, rockets and other projectiles rained down on a southern region and unidentified hackers knocked out the phone and internet services of the country’s biggest telecom provider. One person was killed and four injured during 24 hours of Russian bombardment of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the regional military administration. The number of projectiles fired at Kherson was the highest number for at least the past two weeks, though local authorities have said between 200-500 are commonly launched against the region every day. Also Read | How Russia is winning the war in Ukraine Long-range barrages have been a feature of the 21-month war. As winter sets in and hampers troop movements on both sides, artillery, missiles and drones are playing an increasing role. Meanwhile, Ukrainian telecom provider Kyivstar said it came under a “powerful” attack by hackers. The company serves more than 24 million mobile customers across the country. “The war with Russia has many dimensions, and one of them is in cyberspace,” Kyivstar Director-General Oleksandr Komarov said in a video statement. “Unfortunately, this morning Kyivstar became the target of a powerful hacker attack, as a result of which communication services and internet access are temporarily unavailable,” he said. Also Read | Over 1,000 ‘opaque fleet’ tankers involved in Russian oil trade since G7 price caps took effect: Vortexa The company gave no estimate for when services might be restored. It said its specialists were working with law enforcement agencies and special state services on solving the problem. Also, a Ukrainian online bank said it fought off a massive distributed denial-of-service attack on Tuesday. A DDoS attack employs a network of distributed computers to direct junk traffic at the target site in an effort to render it unusable. In other developments, Ukraine claimed to have captured a tactically important hill in the Donetsk region, where the front line has barely budged since 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on social media that his troops had taken the foothold, which provides a vantage point over the front line near Pivdenne, a mining town to the northwest of the Donetsk city of Horlivka. Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/world/russia-blasts-ukraine-hackers-strike-phone-internet-9065503/

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday sentenced Shahnawaz Amir to death and imposed a penalty of Rs1 million in Sarah Inam’s murder case. The verdict was reserved on December 9 last week by Sessions Judge Nasir Javaid Rana. However, the court acquitted the Shahnawaz’s mother, Samina Shah, due to lack of evidence. She was indicted in December last year by the sessions court and was named co-accused in the case. The proceedings of the case lasted for more than a year and three different judges conducted the hearings. Additional Sessions Judge Islamabad Muhammad Atta Rabbani and Azam Khan also heard the murder case. Sarah, a 37-year-old economist, was allegedly murdered with dumbbells by her husband Shahnawaz Amir, who is the son of journalist Ayaz Amir, in Islamabad’s Chak Shahzad area on September 23, 2022. Shahnawaz was detained by the police from a farmhouse in Islamabad’s Chak Shahzad area for being a suspect in his wife’s murder and later confessed to killing her, saying he “thought” his spouse was having an affair. The couple was married for just three months. The next day, a trial court approved the arrest warrants of Ayaz Amir and his former wife Sameena Shah, as the two were nominated as suspects by Sarah’s family. Amir was arrested while his former wife later acquired pre-arrest bail. In the police report registered following the murder, an additional clause of Section 109 (punishment for abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code was added at the request of Sarah’s uncles — Colonel (retd) Ikram and Zia-ur-Rahim — who have blamed Ayaz and his former wife for their daughter-in-law’s murder. The petitioners maintained that Sameena was living at the farmhouse where Sarah was murdered. However, during a hearing on September 27, an Islamabad court discharged Ayaz Amir from the case citing “no evidence” against him in Sarah’s murder. On February 6, Shahnawaz was indicted in the case involving the possession of a Kalashnikov firearm that was obtained illegally and he pleaded not guilty to the charge. However, on November 27, the court granted the benefit of the doubt to Shahnawaz and acquitted him in the case. The court highlighted the prosecution’s failure to prove its charges against the accused, terming its evidence “doubtful”. It should be noted that the police had registered a separate case related to the recovery of a Kalashnikov from the suspect. Last month in October, the prime suspect rejected all evidence submitted by the prosecution against him, terming it “baseless”. Who was Sarah Inam? Sarah Inam, 37, was a Canadian national and a successful economist who worked with Deloitte and USAID at different points in her career. She was married to Shahnawaz for just three months before being murdered. She had a master’s degree from the University of Waterloo and was currently employed in the government sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as per friends and family. Sarah is survived by her father, mother and two elder brothers. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1138147-sarah-inam-murder-caseshahnawaz-amir-sentenced-to-death-in-sarah-inam-murder-case

An Israeli army raid in Jenin, ongoing since the early hours of Tuesday, has killed at least 10 Palestinians. UNRWA says that 288 Palestinians sheltering in its facilities in Gaza have been killed since October 7. It confirmed that one more staff member had been killed, bringing the total number of deaths among UNRWA staff since October 7 to 135. Exclusive footage obtained by Al Jazeera shows bodies piled up inside a school in northern Gaza, with family members saying the dead had been shot at point blank range. At least 18,608 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel stands at 1,147. Graphic: Almost half of Gaza’s population now in Rafah Click here to share on social media Qassam Brigades says it killed at least 10 Israeli solders in Shujayea The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, has said that its fighters targeted Israeli forces in the Shujayea neighbourhood of Gaza City with “highly explosive devices”. The group said in a statement on Telegram that the attack killed at least 10 Israeli soldiers. The Qassam Brigades also said that its forces attacked four Israeli Merkava tanks and four military personnel carriers in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City. It added that its fighters used al-Yassin 105 rockets in the attack. Click Photos: The aftermath of Israeli strikes in Khan Younis [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] Click Israeli army says it killed ‘many’ fighters in Gaza The Israeli army said fighting continued in Gaza in the past day – in particular, in Shujayea and Jabalia in the north of the enclave, and Khan Younis in the south. Soldiers killed “many terrorists in the north of the Gaza Strip in the past day,” said a statement in Hebrew by the army on X. In one incident, the armed forces detected Hamas fighters “observing its soldiers, fired at them and eliminated them,” the statement said. In another case, the army located and destroyed overnight a firing position in a school complex that served as a base of Hamas’s Shujayea battalion. In Khan Younis, soldiers conducted raids in various locations and found a variety of weapons, including grenades and rifles, and destroyed two shafts, a rocket launch pit and a weapons warehouse. Click Nearly half of Israeli munitions used in Gaza are unguided ‘dumb bombs’: Report Nearly half of the air-to-ground munitions that Israel has used in Gaza have been unguided, otherwise known as “dumb bombs,” according to a new US intelligence assessment reported by CNN. The US news outlet said the assessment was compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and described to CNN by three sources who have seen it. About 40 to 45 percent of the 29,000 air-to-ground munitions Israel has used have been unguided and the rest have been precision-guided munitions, the CNN report added. “Dumb bombs” do not contain a guidance system and they usually follow a ballistic trajectory or are dropped from aircraft. On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden warned that Israel risks losing international support over its “indiscriminate bombing” of civilians. Click MBS, Sullivan hold talks on peace efforts for Israel and Palestine: White House White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in Saudi Arabia to discuss efforts to create a sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians, according to the White House. “They discussed a number of bilateral and regional matters, including ongoing efforts to create new conditions for an enduring and sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” a White House statement said. They also discussed the humanitarian response in Gaza, including how to increase the flow of critical aid to the Palestinian enclave, it added. Click here to share on social media Iran warns against proposed US-backed Red Sea force Iran’s defence minister has warned that a proposed US-backed multinational task force to protect shipping in the Red Sea would face “extraordinary problems”, Iranian media reported. “Nobody can make a move in a region where we have predominance,” Mohammad Reza Ashtiani told the official Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA). “If they make such an irrational move, they will be faced with extraordinary problems.” The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have staged attacks on ships they claim had links to Israel. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters last week that Washington was in talks with “other countries” over forming a maritime task force to ensure the safe passage of ships in the Red Sea, but did not give further details. Click Israeli captives’ families want government talks with Hamas Alan Fisher Reporting from the occupied East Jerusalem The families of those who are being held captive in Gaza have demanded an urgent meeting and explanation from Netanyahu, wondering why he is not exploring every single angle to get a ceasefire and the release of more hostages. According to various reports, two out of three in Israel’s war cabinet decided that it was not a good idea to send someone from Mossad to Qatar to start talking about the release of captives – only former Deputy Prime Minister Benny Gantz was in favour of doing so. What was said is that the war cabinet thinks they should continue with their show of force in Gaza and force Hamas to the negotiating table. They believe that is a way to negotiate – from a position of strength. But it is clear that the families of the captives want some answers, and they would like to see someone from Israel head to Qatar to at least examine the possibility of getting more of the captives out of Gaza sooner rather than later. Click here to share on social media Jenin death toll rises to 11 amid Israeli military raid: Report A young man has died from his wounds following an Israeli military raid on the West Bank city of Jenin for the third day in a row, Wafa news agency reported, citing the Palestinian Health Ministry. This

As the cross-border attacks witness a new spike, Pakistan on Tuesday called on incumbent Afghan rulers to ensure accountability of those involved in the deadly Dera Ismail Khan attack, resulting in the martyrdom of over 20 security personnel. At least 23 soldiers embraced martyrdom when militants rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a Pakistani military base, the army said, in an attack claimed by affiliates of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The suicide squad of six terrorists — all of whom were killed later — attacked the outpost in the DI Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province — near the Afghan border — in the early hours of Tuesday, the military’s media wing said in a statement. In response, Foreign Secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi summoned Afghanistan’s top diplomat in Islamabad to deliver Pakistan’s strong demarche. “The attack[‘s] responsibility has been claimed by the Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, a terrorist group affiliated with the TTP,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. The statement mentioned that the envoy was asked to immediately convey to the Afghan interim government to fully investigate and take stern action against the perpetrators of the recent attack. Qazi demanded that the Afghan government, while publicly condemning the terrorist incident at the highest level, take immediate verifiable actions against all terrorist groups — including their leadership — and their sanctuaries. The foreign secretary further said the neighbouring nation should apprehend and hand over the perpetrators of the attack and the TTP leadership in Afghanistan to the Pakistani government. “[They] should also take all necessary measures to deny the persistent use of Afghan soil for terrorism against Pakistan,” the statement mentioned. The Foreign Office also said that the terrorist attack is yet another reminder of the terrorist threat to peace and stability in the region. “We must act resolutely with all our collective might to defeat this menace. On its part, Pakistan remains steadfast in its commitment to combat terrorism.” The army’s media wing said Dera Ismail Khan had “witnessed heightened activities” overnight and a total of 27 militants were killed in firefights with troops in the area. Pakistan has witnessed a dramatic spike in militant attacks, mainly in its border regions with Afghanistan, since the Taliban returned to power there in 2021. The first half of 2023 saw a nearly 80% spike in attacks compared to last year, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies. Islamabad has time and again stated that hostile groups operate from “sanctuaries” across the border, however, the Taliban government routinely denies the charges. The biggest threat to Pakistan is the TTP, which shares lineage and ideology with Kabul’s rulers. In January, the TTP was linked to a mosque bombing that martyred more than 80 police officers inside a headquarters in Peshawar, the capital of KP. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1137636-islamabad-demands-kabul-action-after-di-khan-terror-attack

  A bus crash in the Mexican state of Oaxaca killed 16 people on Friday, according to local authorities, who say most of the passengers were migrants. Three children and two women are among the victims, all of whom are from Venezuela and Haiti, the Oaxaca state attorney general said. At least 27 people were injured and transported to nearby hospitals. Pictures posted by authorities on Facebook show the large bus flipped over and heavily damaged on a curve of the mountainous Oaxaca-Cuacnopalan highway. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident, which took place at 5 a.m. local time (7 a.m. ET). The Oaxaca state attorney general’s office had first said 18 people died in the crash, then revised its count late on Friday evening. The scene of the crash. Oaxaca Civil Protection Agency The tragedy follows the deaths of at least 10 Cuban migrants, including a child, on Sunday, when the truck they were traveling in also overturned in southern Mexico, according to local authorities. Venezuela and Haiti are sources of large numbers of migrants traveling northward, fleeing insecurity and economic crisis at home. US and Mexican officials have struggled to respond to the arrivals, with Washington putting increasing pressure on Mexico City to shoulder more responsibility for people crossing its territory. Food shortages and limited access to health care have driven more than 7.7 million people from Venezuela alone – a scale of displacement that outpaces Ukraine, where there’s an active war. On Thursday, senior officials in the Biden administration said the US would restart deporting Venezuelans directly to Venezuela in an attempt to curb the record influx, marking a major shift in policy. Haiti meanwhile is waiting for a new multinational mission to help bring order to the country, currently roiled by unchecked gang violence, kidnappings and food insecurity. Source:https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/06/americas/mexico-bus-crash-intl-latam/index.html

UN General Assembly overwhelmingly passes non-binding resolution urging humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza as Israeli bombardment continues. US President Biden says Israel “starting to lose support by [the] indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza. WHO chief raises concerns after Israeli forces raid northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, calls for the protection of patients and staff. UN agency for Palestinian refugees says Gaza has become “one of the most dangerous places in the world” amid deepening humanitarian crisis. At least 18,412 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel stands at 1,147. Israeli forces have been raiding Jenin for more than 29 hours An Israeli military raid on Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp has been going on for 29 hours, and there are still no signs of it ending. Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said videos showed one residential home being surrounded by the Israeli army, which put out warnings for its occupants to leave. There was at least one arrest made in that location. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said that up to 100 Palestinians may have been arrested in the raid so far, and about 30 of those initially detained may have been released. Raids are also taking place across the West Bank in the cities of Nablus, Hebron, Bethlehem and the Ramallah outskirts. Click Flooding tunnels in Gaza will be ‘disastrous’ Flooding a network of tunnels used by Hamas with seawater will have “devastating consequences” on the environment and the water aquifer in the enclave, Tamer Qarmout of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies has said. The Wall Street Journal and ABC News, citing anonymous US officials, reported that flooding had begun to flush out Hamas fighters and the process could take weeks. “Historically, since the creation of Israel, Gaza used to have a key river called the Gaza Valley River, which crossed through Gaza. Israel cut the flow of this river and deprived Gaza of a major source of drinking water,” he told Al Jazeera. “With Gaza being a very small area with 2.3 million people, the water has been over-exploited. The quality of drinking water is really bad, and salinity is a real issue.” Click Biden warns Israel risks losing support over ‘indiscriminate’ Gaza bombing US President Joe Biden has warned that Israel risks losing international support over its “indiscriminate bombing” of civilians in its war against Hamas in the besieged Gaza Strip. Yemen’s Houthis attacking civilian ships with no connection to Israel: HRW Human Rights Watch says Yemen’s Houthis are targeting several commercial ships carrying civilian crews in the Red Sea that have no connection to Israel. “The Houthis are claiming that they’re carrying out attacks on behalf of Palestinians, when the reality is that they’re attacking, arbitrarily detaining, and endangering civilians on ship crews who have zero connection to any known military target,” Michael Page, Middle East and North Africa deputy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “The Houthis should immediately release the hostages and end their attacks on civilians caught in the crosshairs of their declared war on Israel.” The watchdog said the Norwegian-flagged Strinda, which was hit by a missile on Tuesday, was carrying palm oil to Italy rather than oil to Israel, as stated by the Houthis. On December 3, two other bulk cargo carriers were attacked despite not being bound for Israel. Buildings demolished in occupied West Bank’s Anata and Marj Na’ja: UN Palestinian-owned buildings were demolished by Israeli forces in Anata and Marj Na’ja in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the UN reports. In total, at least 1,001 Palestinian-owned structures have been demolished in the occupied West Bank this year alone, displacing at least 1,870 people, according to the latest figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Senior PLO official says UN General Assembly vote shows Israel’s isolation In a brief statement posted on social media, Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s executive committee, has said Israel is isolated internationally over its war on Gaza. Al-Sheikh issued the statement after 153 UN member states voted in favour of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with only 10 countries, including the US, opposing the resolution and 23 others abstaining. The resolution, however, is considered as non-binding. [Translation: “The UN resolution in the General Assembly calling for stopping the aggression against the Palestinian people demonstrates Israel’s isolation internationally, and requires international will to implement this resolution immediately”.] Click here to share on social media If you’re just joining us It’s nearly 7am local time (05:00 GMT) in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel. Here are the latest developments overnight: UN General Assembly overwhelmingly votes for a non-binding resolution urging a ceasefire in Gaza. Some 8,000 people are missing or trapped under the rubble in Gaza, a civil defence official says. Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin continues after 24 hours. Eight more Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza over the past day. Israel deploys four new warships to the Red Sea. Click here to share on social media Israeli military says 8 more soldiers killed in Gaza over past day Those killed included a 35-year-old lieutenant colonel, two 23-year-old majors, a 19-year-old sergeant and a 22-year-old captain all serving with the Israeli infantry’s Golani Brigade. All were killed in fighting in northern Gaza. Two majors – one 26 years old and another 20 years old – with the 669 Special Rescue Tactical Unit were also killed in fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli military. And a 19-year-old sergeant in the combat engineers was also killed in the north of the Palestinian territory, it said. On Tuesday, the UN reported that a total of 105 Israeli soldiers had been killed since Israel invaded Gaza and that 600 had been injured, citing the Israeli military. It was not known if that total figure included the latest eight deaths reported. Click here to share on social media‘Biden needs to pull the

PARIS, Dec 11 (Reuters) – France is to end funding for its biggest Muslim high school on the grounds of administrative failures and questionable teaching practices, a local official said on Monday, the latest in what some rights groups say is a wider crackdown on Muslims. Private school Averroes, the first Muslim high school to open in mainland France in 2003 in the northern city of Lille, has more than 800 pupils and has been under contract with the state since 2008. Pupils follow the regular French curriculum, and are also offered religion classes. But in an October report seen by Reuters, the interior ministry’s local office said the school was suffering from administrative and financial dysfunction and that some teaching did not align with French republican values. The interior ministry’s local office declined to provide more details on the contract termination. Many Muslims feel France – home to the largest Muslim population in Europe – has become more hostile towards them, especially after France suffered a string of deadly jihadist attacks in 2015. In September, the education minister banned the abaya, the loose-fitting, full-length robe worn by some Muslim women, in public schools. Last year, a deportation order was given to an imam from the same area of northern France. Averroes headmaster Eric Dufour said he had yet to receive notification from the interior ministry’s local office, but that the school intended to challenge the decision in administrative court. “When it comes to republican values, we do more than any other school,” Dufour told Reuters last week in Lille, after he had been summoned to an education committee meeting in late November that made him fear the decision to end the school’s contract was coming. And a 2020 education ministry inspection report that Reuters reviewed said that “nothing in the observations … allows (us) to think teaching practices don’t respect republican values”. The ministry didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. Headmaster Dufour said that without public funding, the school would be unable to meet its budget needs. “We would have to double fees for every family to hold on, which is out of the question,” he said. Mohamed Daoudi said the main reason he chose Averroes for his 12-year-old son was its excellent results, and that he and other parents felt the interior ministry local office’s decision was an injustice. “It’s really a witch-hunt,” Daoudi said. “It’s an injustice doubled with an insult.” A project director in the tech industry, Daoudi said he had lived abroad for 15 years and was ready to leave again if the school were to close. “I would rather put my kids in public school in Canada,” he said. He added that he felt like it was part of a wider crackdown on France’s Muslim minority. “We do everything by the book, and we are still being pestered.” Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro, editing by Nick Macfie Source:https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-end-contract-with-biggest-muslim-high-school-amid-fears-wider-crackdown-2023-12-11/

Armed men stormed a police station in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least five people, officials say, with the number of casualties expected to rise. The attack took place on Tuesday in the city of Dera Ismail Khan in the restive province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, located at the edge of the lawless tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, also wounded at least 28 people, said Aizaz Mehmood, an official of the state-run rescue service. “We are still hearing gunshots,” he said. end of list However, the Reuters news agency reported quoting two security officials that there were at least 24 deaths at the police station, being used by the Pakistani army as a base camp. “Many of them were killed while they were sleeping and in civilian clothes so we are still determining if they are all military personnel,” an official was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. The fighters rammed a vehicle laden with explosives into the main gate of the police station, following up with a gun attack, according to officials. Pakistani group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), which has emerged recently, said its fighters carried out the attack aimed at the Pakistani army, in a statement quoted by Reuters. Former Pakistan Taliban stronghold It was not immediately clear if the group in question is linked to the main armed outlawed group Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, which has targeted the state and its institutions for years. Dera Ismail Khan is a former stronghold of the TTP, which seeks to overthrow the government and replace it with their harsh brand of religious laws. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed a rise in violence with several deadly attacks. In January, at least 101 people were killed when a suicide bomber targeted a mosque in Peshawar. Authorities say fighters have become emboldened while living openly in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of that country in 2021. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/12/894

At least 20 people have been reportedly killed, including seven children, in the bombing of the city of Rafah by Israeli forces. A UN expert warns that “every single Palestinian in Gaza is going hungry” as Israel continues its deadly bombardment of the enclave. Al Jazeera denounces the killing of its journalist Anas al-Shifa’s 65-year-old father in an Israeli attack on his home in northern Gaza. Israel says it will screen humanitarian aid at the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, but supplies will still enter Gaza only via Egypt’s Rafah. More than 18,200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombardment since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel stands at 1,147. Israel’s defence minister says war will ‘take time’ Israel’s defence minister has pushed back against international calls for a ceasefire, saying the current phase of what Israel says is an operation against Hamas will “take time”. “We are going to defend ourselves. I am fighting for Israel’s future,” Yoav Gallant, a member of Israel’s three-man war cabinet, said in a briefing with The Associated Press. Gallant refused to commit to any firm deadlines but signalled that the current phase, characterised by heavy ground fighting backed up by air power, could stretch on for weeks and that further military activity could continue for months. He added that the next phase would be lower-intensity fighting against “pockets of resistance” and would require Israeli troops to maintain their freedom of operation. Click here to share on social media Know their names: Palestinians killed by Israel in the occupied West Bank This year, at least 483 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,769 wounded by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank. Since October 7, as jets bombarded Gaza, the Israeli military ramped up its raids in the West Bank. As of December 10, at least 106 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers this year, reaching three times the number recorded in 2022. This year alone accounts for a quarter of all Palestinian deaths over the past 20 years. Click Photos: Gaza on Tuesday morning [Said Khatib/AFP] [Jack Guez/AFP] [Jack Guez/AFP] [Jack Guez/AFP] Click Photos: Aftermath of Israeli strikes on houses in Khan Younis [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] Click here to share on social media Israeli raids continue in the occupied West Bank In addition to the raid in the city of Jenin, where four Palestinians have been killed, Israeli forces have carried out operations in other parts of the occupied West Bank: Israeli raids took place in the town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah where 15 people were arrested. Several people were detained in the town of Samu in Israeli raids on Palestinian homes. ⁠Olive fields in the towns of Qasr and Orta, south of Nablus, were vandalised by Israeli forces who were accompanied by Israeli settlers. Raids were also reported in Bethlehem and Deir Ballut south of Qalqilya city. Click here to share on social media Houthis say they targeted tanker headed to Israel A spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthi group has confirmed that it was behind a missile attack on a Norway-flagged chemical tanker off the Yemeni coast on its way to Israel. “In support of the oppressed Palestinian people, currently reeling under the destruction, killing and siege of the Gaza Strip, and to heed the calls of our free Yemeni people, the Yemeni Naval Forces carried out an outstanding military operation against MV Strinda,” Yahiya Sarie said. “Over the past two days, the Yemeni Armed Forces prevented a number of vessels from passing through. Those vessels heeded our warnings. “We reiterate that we will continue to prevent all vessels headed to the Israeli ports, regardless of their nationalities, from navigating in the Arab or Red Sea, until the necessary food and medical supplies are delivered to our brothers in the Gaza Strip.” Click here to share on social media The Palestinian Health Ministry is reporting that a fourth Palestinian has been killed in Israeli raids on Jenin in the occupied West Bank. One person was wounded in the attack on al-Sibat neighbourhood, Wafa news agency reported, while at least 40 people have been arrested. Israeli forces have also surrounded three hospitals in the area, the report added. With the latest killings, the death toll in West Bank since October 7 has gone up to 279. Click here to share on social media US unlikely to put any real pressure to rein in Israel Giorgio Cafiero There’s no denying that the Biden administration would like to see Israel change certain aspects of its conduct. White House officials have concerns about how the war in Gaza will impact the region in the long term but there are no signs that the administration wants to put any real pressure on Israel to make the changes it would like to see. The Israelis understand that the opinions of the White House are just opinions, rhetoric is just rhetoric and if there’s no real pressure, this language doesn’t really mean anything. Given the elections coming up, I don’t think that Biden wants to have a fight with the pro-Israel lobby. I doubt he will do much to challenge the Netanyahu government. At the same time, as this war drags on and the humanitarian disaster worsens, we can see Biden paying a price politically. We can see voters who otherwise would have backed Biden decide to vote for a third party candidate, or not vote at all. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/12/israel-hamas-war-live-palestinians-going-hungry-as-israel-pounds-gaza

KHUZDAR A magnetic improvised explosive device (IED) explosion martyred a police official and injured two others in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district, Geo News reported on Sunday. Police said that Counter Terrorism Department’s (CTD) Station House Officer Mohammad Murad embraced martyrdom in the blast after his car was targeted on the Sultan Ibrahim road. They added that the wounded were shifted to the Khuzdar Teaching Hospital. Caretaker Federal Minister of Interior Sarfaraz Bugti, while speaking to Geo News following the incident, said that the whole nation has to fight the war against terrorism as it is becoming a great challenge. “The war against terrorism is not just CTDs but of the entire nation,” he added. In October, two people were martyred and three were wounded in a roadside explosion in Balochistan’s Chaghi area. According to the Levies force, the blast took place in Chaghi bazaar — at a distance of 60 kilometres from Dalbandin near the Pak-Afghan border — when a security forces vehicle was passing by. The attack came days after more than 60 people died in two separate suicide attacks in Balochistan’s Mastung and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu city on September 29. Pakistan has witnessed a significant spike in the form of the recent wave of terrorist attacks across the country. According to a statistical report released by the independent think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), at least 271 militant attacks took place during the first half of 2023, resulting in the loss of 389 lives and injuring 656 individuals. Terror activities in the country soared by 79% during the period. In light of the increase in attacks, the interior minister announced the November 1 deadline for the illegal “aliens”, including Afghan illegal immigrants, to leave the county voluntarily. The caretaker interior minister revealed that Afghan nationals were responsible for 14 of the 24 suicide bombings in the country this year. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1136973-ied-blast-martyrs-policeman-injures-two-others-in-balochistans-khuzdar