Palestinians return to ruins, US troops land in Israel as ceasefire holds
Gaza City (AP): Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians returned to their Gaza neighbourhoods Saturday, weaving through dust-shrouded streets as bulldozers clawed through the wreckage of two years of war and a ceasefire held in its second day.
“Gaza is completely destroyed. I have no idea where we should live or where to go,” said Mahmoud al-Shandoghli as he walked through Gaza City. A boy climbed a shattered building to raise the Palestinian flag.
About 200 US troops arrived in Israel to monitor the ceasefire with Hamas. They will set up a centre to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance. The head of the US military's Central Command said he visited Gaza on Saturday to prepare it.
“This great effort will be achieved with no US boots on the ground in Gaza,” Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement.
An Egyptian official said US envoy Steve Witkoff met with senior US and Israeli military officials in Gaza on Saturday and that Witkoff stressed the implementation of the ceasefire deal's first phase. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to talk to reporters.
Aid groups urged Israel to reopen more crossings to allow aid into Gaza. A UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet public, said Israel has approved expanded aid deliveries, starting Sunday.
The World Food Program said it was ready to restore 145 food distribution points across the famine-stricken territory, once Israel allows for expanded deliveries. Before Israel sealed off Gaza in March, UN agencies provided food at 400 distribution points.
Though the timeline and how the food will enter Gaza remain unclear, the distribution points will allow Palestinians to access food at more locations than they could through the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which had operated four locations since taking over distribution in late May.
COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid, said more than 500 trucks entered Gaza on Friday, although many crossings remain closed.
Some 170,000 metric tons of food aid have been positioned in neighbouring countries awaiting permission from Israel to restart deliveries.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
