Israeli strike kills 5 Palestinian journalists in Gaza, officials say
Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip), Dec 26: An Israeli strike killed five Palestinian journalists outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip overnight, the Health Ministry said early Thursday.
The Israeli military said it had targeted a group of Hamas members.
The strike hit a car outside the Al-Awda Hospital in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in the central part of the territory. The journalists were working for the local Quds News Network, which also reported the strike.
The military said it targeted a group of fighters from Islamic Jihad, a group allied with Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack into southern Israel ignited the war.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says over 130 Palestinian reporters have been killed since the start of the war. Israel has not allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza except on military embeds.
The war began when Hamas-led group stormed across the border in a surprise attack on nearby army bases and farming communities. They killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel's air and ground offensive has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry. It says more than half the fatalities have been women and children but does not say how many of the dead were fighters.
The offensive has caused widespread destruction and driven around 90% of the population of 2.3 million from their. homes. Hundreds of thousands are packed into squalid tent camps along the coast, with little protection from the cold, wet winter.
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Manmohan Singh left 'big imprint' on country's economy: CM Siddaramaiah
Belagavi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away on December 26, has left a "big imprint" on the country's economy.
Calling him "the most respected man", the CM recalled Singh as a simple, gentleman and honest politician.
Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms, died in New Delhi on Thursday night. He was 92.
"Singh's life, in a way, is a miracle. He was born in a small village in today's Pakistan and went on to become one of the country's and the world's renowned economist. He was finance minister in Narasimha Rao cabinet and through liberalisation and privatisation, he opened up the Indian economy and there by resolved the financial crisis that the country was facing," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, in 2004, Sonia Gandhi chose Singh as the prime minister, the responsibility he held for ten years, uplifting the country both economically and socially.
"He is among the honest prime ministers the country has seen. He has left a big imprint on the country's economy. His life and work towards shaping the country's economy is an inspiration to all of us," he added.
Stating that Singh never had intoxication of power, Siddaramaiah said, he was a simple, gentleman and honest politician.
"He was the most respected man. He lived with dignity and respect in politics. Such a person has departed. His death is a big loss for India. I pray to the Almighty that he give strength to Singh's family, friends and well-wishers to bear the loss," he said.
Singh introduced the Food Security Act to ensure that the poor get food grains at a cheaper cost, the CM said, and added that, "after this law was enacted, I brought in a scheme in Karnataka to provide rice at Re 1 to poor, later that was changed to free 5 kg of rice."
"Today, if Narendra Modi-led NDA government is providing 5 kg of free rice to the poor the reason for it is Manmohan Singh. During Singh's tenure as PM he worked keeping in mind poor," he added.
Noting that he shared a good relationship with Singh as he was PM during his first stint as CM, Siddaramaiah said, he had lauded state's economy and government's schemes.
Singh's death was announced on Thursday night by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, where he was admitted in the Emergency ward around 8.30 PM in a critical condition.
