At least 40 killed, more than 60 wounded in Israeli attack on Gaza tent camp
Al-Mawasi: At least 40 people have been killed and more than 60 injured in an Israeli attack on a tent encampment for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza, the enclave's civil emergency service said on Tuesday.
The civil emergency service reported that the strike in al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis caused severe destruction, igniting at least 20 tents and creating craters up to nine metres deep, as mentioned by Reuters. The camp, heavily overcrowded with displaced Palestinians, was struck despite its designation as a humanitarian zone.
According to the news agency, residents mentioned that ambulances raced between the tent camp and a nearby hospital, while Israeli jets could still be heard overhead.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it struck “significant Hamas terrorists” who had been operating at a command and control centre embedded inside the humanitarian area in Khan Younis.
However, Hamas has strongly disputed these claims by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and accused them of lying to justify their crimes. "The resistance has denied several times that any of its members exist within civilian gatherings or are using these places for military purposes," Hamas stated.
Footage circulating on social media showed deep craters at the site of the attack, the strewn ruins around it covered in shredded tents, a bicycle and other debris. Rescue workers used shovels to shift through the sand. Bystanders used their hands to dig, illuminated by mobile phone light. At least one crater at the site looked to be as deep as 10 metres.
Mawasi is an area 1 kilometre wide and 14 kilometres long. Palestinians who fled other areas have crowded into the sandy beach area against the Mediterranean Sea after Israel told them it would be safe. However, aid groups have struggled to provide care there among a sea of tents crowded with the belongings families were able to carry away with them when fleeing their homes.
The war has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90 per cent of Gaza's population of 2.3 million, often multiple times.
Gaza's Health Ministry says over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Kapil Sibal informs SC about rape threats to female lawyers representing West Bengal in RG Kar case
New Delhi: Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that female lawyers from his chambers were receiving rape and physical harm threats for representing the State of West Bengal in the case concerning the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Sibal expressed concerns before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, stating that women in his chambers were being threatened with acid attacks and rape, and that posts were circulating about him laughing during the proceedings.
"There are threats to women in my chamber, and then there are posts about me laughing. People are saying acid will be thrown at them, and they will be raped," Sibal said.
The Court reassured him, with CJI Chandrachud stating, "If there are any such threats to any man or woman, we will step in."
Sibal also raised concerns about the impact of live-streaming the hearings on the lawyers’ reputations, stating that the 50-year reputation he had built was being destroyed overnight due to misinterpretations of court remarks. He requested the Court to halt the live-streaming, but the CJI declined, maintaining that it was in the public interest.
The case relates to the rape and murder of a 31-year-old resident doctor, whose body was found on August 9 in a seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College. An autopsy confirmed that the doctor had been raped and murdered. The incident sparked protests across the country, with doctors demanding stronger laws and increased protection for medical professionals.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently handling the probe, following an order from the Calcutta High Court. The Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of the matter, issuing several directives, including the establishment of a National Task Force to address issues related to the safety of medical professionals and gender-based violence. The Court also ordered the State of West Bengal to file a status report on the acts of vandalism that took place at the hospital following the incident and directed that Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) security be deployed at the hospital.
The CBI is expected to submit a status report on the investigation soon.
