Israeli forces destroy Gaza’s only cancer hospital amid intensified offensive
Jerusalem: Israeli forces pushed deeper into the Gaza Strip on Friday, destroying the only specialised cancer hospital in the region. The escalation follows Israel’s commitment to expanding its control until Hamas releases the remaining hostages.
The hospital, located in the Netzarim Corridor, an area that divided Gaza in two and remained under Israeli control for most of the 17-month-long conflict, was targeted after Israel resumed operations in the corridor earlier this week, breaking a ceasefire that had been in place since late January. The ceasefire had allowed the release of over two dozen hostages.
The Israeli military stated that the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital had been inaccessible to doctors and patients due to Hamas militants allegedly operating from the site. However, Türkiye, which helped establish and fund the hospital, accused Israel of using it as a military base at one point, according to an AP report.
Dr Zaki Al-Zaqzouq, head of the hospital’s oncology department, revealed that a medical team had visited the facility during the ceasefire and found it damaged but partially intact. Following the attack, the Medical Aid for Palestinians group condemned the bombing, calling it an attack on a crucial healthcare facility.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry denounced the destruction of the hospital, accusing Israel of deliberately making Gaza uninhabitable and forcibly displacing Palestinians.
Under international law, hospitals can lose their protected status if used for military purposes, but any attack must be proportionate. Human rights organisations and UN-backed experts have repeatedly criticised Israel for systematically targeting Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure.
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Ajit Pawar rues Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka still not part of Maharashtra
Mumbai, May 1 (PTI): Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said even 65 years after the formation of Maharashtra, there is one regret - that Belgaum and Karwar, parts of adjoining Karnataka, were still not merged with the western Marathi-speaking state.
Speaking at a party event organised on the occasion of Maharashtra Day, Pawar, who heads the ruling NCP, asserted his outfit will not abandon the ideology of legendary social reformers Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and B R Ambedkar.
Recalling the work of chief ministers of Maharashtra from the first CM Yashwantrao Chavan to the incumbent Devendra Fadnavis, Pawar said each one of them have contributed to development of the state since its formation in 1960.
"Maharashtra was formed out of struggle. Even if Maharashtra has completed 65 years of its existence, here is one regret in our hearts. Even today, the Marathi manoos (Marathi-speaking people) of Belgaum and Karwar are still not with us. The case is going on in the Supreme Court.
"The day they are merged with Maharashtra, we can confidently said Maharashtra is now complete," he said.
Maharashtra has been demanding that Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka -- Belgaum, Karwar, Nipani -- be merged with the state, a stand strongly opposed by the southern state.
Pawar noted India's population in 1947 was 35 crore, but it has now multiplied four times to 140 crore. The population of the state has also increased accordingly, he said.
He emphasised that those in power now and in the past have been working to address the water woes of Maharashtra, but with a growing population, the sources have become limited.
The deputy CM said some people oppose the bullet train project in India, but China and Japan have progressed because of such high-speed transport modes.
The erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government (November 2019-June 2022) had stopped the bullet train project connecting Mumbai to Ahmedabad which is currently under construction.
