Israeli strikes in northern Gaza kill 88, officials say
Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip), Oct 30: Two Israeli airstrikes in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday killed at least 88 people, including dozens of women and children, health officials said, and the director of a hospital said life-threatening injuries were going untreated because a weekend raid by Israeli forces led to the detention of dozens of medics.
Israel has escalated airstrikes and waged a bigger ground operation in northern Gaza in recent weeks, saying it is focused on rooting out Hamas group who have regrouped after more than a year of war. The intense fighting is raising alarm about the worsening humanitarian conditions for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still in northern Gaza.
Concerns about not enough aid reaching Gaza were amplified Monday when Israeli lawmakers passed two laws to cut ties with the main U.N. agency distributing food, water and medicine, and to ban it from Israeli soil. Israel controls access to both Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and it was unclear how the agency known as UNRWA would continue its work in either place.
“The humanitarian operation in Gaza, if that is unraveled, that is a disaster within a series of disasters and just doesn't bear thinking about," said UNRWA spokesperson John Fowler. He said other U.N. agencies and international organizations distributing aid in Gaza rely on its logistics and thousands of workers.
In Lebanon, the Hezbollah group said Tuesday it has chosen Sheikh Naim Kassem to succeed longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month. Hezbollah, which has fired rockets into Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, vowed to continue with Nasrallah's policies “until victory is achieved.”
A short while later, eight Austrian soldiers serving in the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon were reported lightly injured in a midday missile strike.
The peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, said the rocket that struck its headquarters in Lebanon was “likely” fired by Hezbollah, and that it struck a vehicle workshop.
Strike in northern Gaza comes as Israel wages a major operation thereThe Gaza Health Ministry's emergency service said at least 70 people were killed and 23 were missing in the first of Tuesday's strikes in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya. More than half of the victims were women and children, the ministry said. A mother and her five children — some of them adults — and a second mother with six children, were among those killed in the attack on a five-story building, according to the emergency service.
A second strike on Beit Lahiya on Tuesday evening killed at least 18 people, according to the Health Ministry.
The nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital was overwhelmed by a wave of wounded women and children, including many who needed urgent surgeries, according to its director, Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya. The Israeli military raided the hospital over the weekend, detaining dozens of medics it said were Hamas members.
“The situation is catastrophic in every sense of the word," Safiya said, adding that the only remaining doctor at the hospital was a pediatrician. "The health care system has collapsed and needs an urgent international intervention.”
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller referred to the “horrifying incident” in Beit Lahiya in comments to reporters. He said Israel's yearlong campaign against Hamas has ensured it cannot repeat the type of attack that started the war in Gaza, but that “getting to here came at a great cost to civilians.”
The Israeli military said it was investigating the first Beit Lahiya strike; it did not immediately comment on the second.
Israel's recent operations in northern Gaza, focused in and around the Jabaliya refugee camp, have killed hundreds of people and driven tens of thousands from their homes.
The Israeli military has repeatedly struck shelters for displaced people in recent months. It says it carries out precise strikes targeting Palestinian group and tries to avoid harming civilians, but the strikes often kill women and children.
On Tuesday, Israel said four more of its soldiers were killed in the fighting in northern Gaza, bringing the toll since the start of the operation to 16, including a colonel.
As the fighting raged, Hamas signaled it was ready to resume cease-fire negotiations, although its key demands — a permanent cease-fire and full withdrawal of the Israeli military — do not appear to have changed, and have been dismissed in the past by Israel. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Tuesday the group has accepted mediators' request to discuss “new proposals.”
Hezbollah's new leader has vowed to keep fighting IsraelHezbollah said in a statement that its decision-making Shura Council elected Kassem, who had been Nasrallah's deputy leader for over three decades, as the new secretary-general.
Kassem, 71, a founding member of the group established following Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, had been serving as acting leader. He has given several televised speeches vowing that Hezbollah will fight on despite a string of setbacks.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel, drawing retaliation, after Hamas' surprise attack out of Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Iran, which backs both groups, has also directly traded fire with Israel, in April and then again this month.
The tensions with Hezbollah boiled over in September, as Israel unleashed a wave of heavy airstrikes and killed Nasrallah and most of his senior commanders. Israel launched a ground invasion into Lebanon at the start of October.
Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel on Tuesday, killing one person in the northern city of Maalot-Tarshiha, authorities said. Israeli strikes in the coastal city of Sidon killed at least five people, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
Israeli laws targeting UN agency could further restrict aidUNRWA and other international groups continued to express outrage Tuesday about the Israeli parliament's decision to cut ties to the agency.
Israel says UNRWA has been infiltrated by Hamas and that the group siphons off aid and uses U.N. facilities to shield its activities, allegations denied by the U.N. agency.
Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer vowed that aid will continue to reach Gaza, as Israel plans to coordinate with aid organizations or other bodies within the U.N. “Ultimately, we will ensure that a more efficient replacement for UNRWA takes its role, not one which is infiltrated by the terrorist organization,” he said.
Multiple U.N. agencies rallied Tuesday around UNRWA, calling it the “backbone” of the world body's aid activities in Gaza and other Palestinian areas. UNRWA provides education, health care and emergency aid to millions of Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation and their descendants. Refugee families make up the majority of Gaza's population.
Israel has sharply restricted aid to northern Gaza this month, prompting a warning from the United States that failure to facilitate greater humanitarian assistance could lead to a reduction in military aid.
In its attack on Israel last year, Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 as hostages. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 43,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. Around 90% of the population of 2.3 million have been displaced from their homes, often multiple times.
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'Political misdeed': PM writes to Birla on now-defeated resolution against LS speaker, slams oppn
New Delhi (PTI): In a sharp attack at the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the resolution brought against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was driven by motives of self-interest and that certain individuals steeped in "dynastic mindset" want to confine democratic institutions within their own narrow spheres.
Prime Minister Modi made the remarks in a letter to Birla, days after the resolution moved by the Congress-led opposition for the removal of the Lok Sabha speaker from office was defeated in the House.
Expressed gratitude for the letter, Birla said the prime minister has always held an unwavering faith in the rules, procedures, and traditions of India's parliamentary democracy.
In his letter in Hindi, Modi said, "The no-confidence motion brought against you in the Lok Sabha was defeated in the House. I also congratulate the members of the House for the decisive manner in which they rejected this political misdeed."
"I listened attentively to the statement you delivered in the House following the defeat of the no-confidence motion. The balance, patience, and clarity with which you referenced parliamentary history, the duties of the Speaker, and the supremacy of the rules were truly impressive. For this, I offer you my commendation," he said.
"Your statement was not merely a response to that specific moment; rather, it served as a profound and measured exposition of Indian parliamentary traditions and democratic propriety," the prime minister said.
The greatest strength of Indian democracy lies in its constitutional institutions, Modi said, adding Parliament stands as the supreme forum among these institutions.
Every voice raised in this House represents the hopes and aspirations of millions of citizens across the country, he said.
"In such a context, the responsibility of the Lok Sabha Speaker extends beyond merely conducting the proceedings; the Speaker also serves as the guardian of democratic traditions, parliamentary rules, and institutional dignity. The clarity with which you asserted in your statement that no one in this House stands above the rules delivers a message that reaffirms the fundamental spirit of our democracy," Modi said in his letter to Birla.
"Differences of opinion are inherent in a democracy. Indeed, it is the diversity of ideas that infuses democracy with vitality. However, it is equally true that there exists a distinct demarcation between disagreement and disrespect," the prime minister said.
It is a matter of concern for all those who place their faith in democracy and its institutions that, at times, political disagreement appears to morph into a disregard for parliamentary decorum, Modi said.
Such moments, he said, serve as a true test for the individual occupying the Chair.
The restraint, composure, and impartiality with which you navigated these circumstances are truly commendable, the prime minister said.
"Every citizen of this nation who cherishes democratic ideals sensed that the no-confidence motion brought against you was driven by motives of personal self-interest and arrogance," Modi said, in a swipe at the Congress and the opposition.
This turn of events caused distress to every individual who holds faith in the democratic process, he said.
"This is not the first instance in which this august Chair has been compelled to confront such challenging circumstances. Before you assumed this office, when the Honourable Smt. Sumitra Mahajan held this position, we observed that the conduct of certain members did not align with the dignity expected of every member of this House," Modi said.
Even during that period, on numerous occasions, we witnessed instances of unnecessary acrimony and disrespect directed toward the Chair, he said.
"It is regrettable that such tendencies persist even today. Such behaviour is not merely directed at an individual; rather, it undermines the dignity of the institution itself, an institution that stands as a symbol of our entire democracy," Modi said.
He asserted that the fundamental essence of Parliament lies in dialogue, reasoned debate, and deliberation.
"Every viewpoint must be accorded the opportunity for expression within these hallowed precincts. Throughout your tenure, you have consistently strived to ensure that the maximum number of members of Parliament are granted the opportunity to speak in the House. Whether they be young MPs, first-time elected representatives, or women parliamentarians, providing everyone with the opportunity to articulate their views serves to broaden the scope and inclusivity of our democracy," he said.
"The nation watches with dismay as certain individuals, steeped in dynastic and feudalistic mindsets, seek to confine our democratic institutions within their own narrow spheres," Modi said, adding that they find it difficult to readily accept the rise of any newcomer.
Furthermore, they find it unacceptable that other elected representatives in this House, particularly the new and young MPs, should be accorded equal opportunities to speak and to advance, the prime minister said.
Such a mindset runs counter to the very spirit of democracy, he asserted.
"The true essence of democracy lies in ensuring that opportunities are not confined to a select few, but rather that a platform is provided for the voices of every section of society and every region of the country," he said.
Sharing Prime Minister Modi's letter on X, Birla said the PM has always held an unwavering faith in the rules, procedures, and traditions of India's parliamentary democracy.
"Your letter articulates those highest ethical values of public service that you have embodied throughout your long public life, currently as the Prime Minister of India, and previously as the Chief Minister of Gujarat," Birla said in his post in Hindi.
"You have always held a deep belief in the fundamental nature of Parliament--dialogue, debate, and deliberation. You accord respect to every voice raised in Parliament, recognizing it as the voice of millions of Indian citizens. You consistently prioritize parliamentary proceedings above all else and strive to find solutions to every issue raised within the House," the Lok Sabha speaker said.
Rising above partisan boundaries, this message of yours will inspire all elected representatives across Parliament, state legislatures, and local bodies, and will further strengthen the robust ethical foundation of the democracy established by our freedom fighters and the members of the Constituent Assembly, Birla said to Modi in his post and expressed gratitude for the letter.
An opposition move to remove Birla as speaker was defeated by a voice vote on Wednesday in the Lok Sabha after a heated debate.
