Israeli strikes on Gaza kill more than 90 people in last 48 hours, Palestinians say
Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip), Apr 19 (AP): Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed more than 90 people in the last 48 hours, Gaza's Health Ministry said Saturday, as Israeli troops ramp up attacks to pressure Hamas to release its hostages and disarm.
The dead include 15 people who were killed overnight, among them women and children, some of who were sheltering in a designated humanitarian zone, according to hospital staff.
At least 11 people were killed in the southern city of Khan Younis, several of them in a tent in the Mwasi area where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living, hospital worker said. Israel has designated it as a humanitarian zone.
Four other people were killed in separate strikes in Rafah city, including a mother and her daughter, according to the European Hospital, where the bodies were brought.
Israel has vowed to intensify attacks across Gaza and occupy large “security zones” inside the strip. For six weeks Israel also has blockaded Gaza, barring the entry of food and other goods.
This week, aid groups raised alarm saying that thousands of children have become malnourished, and most people are barely eating one meal a day as stocks dwindle, according to the United Nations.
On Saturday, Dr. Hanan Balkhy, the head of the World Health Organisation's eastern Mediterranean office, urged the new US ambassador in Israel, Mike Huckabee, to push the country to lift Gaza's blockade so medicines and other aid can enter the strip.
“I would wish for him to go in and see the situation firsthand,” she said.
In his first appearance as ambassador on Friday, Huckabee visited the Western Wall, the holiest Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem's Old City. He inserted a prayer into the wall, which he said was handwritten by US President Donald Trump. Huckabee said every effort was being made to bring home the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
The war began when Hamas-led group attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel's offensive has since killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities. The war has displaced around 90 per cent of the population, with hundreds of thousands of people living in tent camps and bombed-out buildings.
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Commission agent's licence suspended in Meerut for storing veggies in toilet
Meerut (UP) (PTI): The market administration in Meerut has suspended the licence of a commission agent or ‘arhtiya’ for storing vegetables inside a defunct toilet at the Mawana Naveen Sabzi Mandi in the city, officials said on Sunday.
The action followed after a video went viral showing vegetables, including tomato, ladyfinger, green chilli, coriander, mint and bottle gourd – packed in polythene bags inside an unused toilet on the market premises.
The secretary of the Mandi committee, Arjun Singh, told PTI that the toilet had been out of use for a long time due to being clogged.
“Abhay Kumar, the proprietor of Pradhan Trading Company, stored leftover vegetables there without permission. Within two hours of receiving information on May 15, a team from the Mandi committee reached the spot, seized about one quintal of vegetables, and buried them in a pit,” Singh said.
A notice was issued to Abhay Kumar, but since no satisfactory response was received, his licence has been suspended, he added.
According to officials, toilets in the market complex meant for use by farmers, commission agents and customers were allegedly being used as storerooms.
Following the incident, SDM Santosh Kumar Singh has sought an explanation from the Mandi committee secretary.
Strict action would be taken against those found guilty after an inquiry report is received, the SDM said.
