3 killed, 248 injured in Israel-Gaza border clashes
Jerusalem, Sep 15 : At least three Palestinians were killed and hundreds injured on Friday afternoon during clashes with Israeli soldiers on the border between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, said that three Palestinians were shot dead and hundreds injured by Israeli soldiers' gunfire in various areas in eastern Gaza Strip, close to the border with Israel.
He said that 120 of the 248 injured were referred to hospitals for treatment. Eighty of them were shot by live bullets. Two of them are voluntary paramedics.
On Friday afternoon, hundreds of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip arrived at five different spots in the eastern area of the coastal enclave, close to the border with Israel as part of their participation of the 25th Friday of the "Great March of Return", Xinhua reported.
They waved Palestinian flags, burned tires and chanted slogans against Israel. Some of the demonstrators released dozens of arson balloons into Israel.
Local media reported that around eight protesters managed to cut the barbed wire of the fence on the border in southern Gaza Strip, and infiltrated into Israel for a short while and then returned into Gaza.
An Israeli army spokesman confirmed in a press statement that around 13,000 Palestinians joined Friday's protests in eastern Gaza, adding that its tanks targeted military facilities belonging to Hamas in eastern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli media reported that Palestinian activists threw three fire bombs at an Israeli army force stationed at the border between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel, adding that dozens of arson balloons were released from Gaza into Israel, causing large fires.
Abdulatif al-Qanou'a, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in a statement that the "Great March of Return" rally will continue until it achieves its goals.
"We will use all means and instrument to break the siege," said Sami Abu Zuhri, another spokesman for Hamas.
The anti-Israel rally, which began on March 30 and has been going on every Friday, has so far left 177 Palestinians killed and more than 19,000 others wounded, Al-Qedra said.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
