Mark Carney spune că depinde de reformele democratice palestiniene, în timp ce Donald Trump spune că ar putea împiedica un acord comercial dintre SUA și Canada.

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Sursa: BBC News

Watch: Huge stick insect discovered in Australia

A researcher at an Australian university has discovered a new "supersized" species of stick insect in a remote rainforest in Queensland, Australia.

Professor Angus Emmott identified the new Acrophylla alta species in the canopies of the mountainous wet tropics region in the northeast of the country.

The insects are roughly 40cm long. This specimen weighs 44g, which is "slightly less than a golf ball", James Cook University said in a statement.

10 hours agoInsectsAustraliaShareSave

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A powerful king tide smashed glass, cracked footpaths and caused residents to evacuate as it battered Sydney's coast line.

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Sursa: BBC News

Peste 30 de morți într-un azil de bătrâni lovit de inundațiile din Beijing

acum 10 oreDistribuieSalveazăTom BennettBBC NewsDistribuieSalveazăGetty Images

Inundațiile au ucis 31 de rezidenți ai unui azil de bătrâni de la periferia Beijingului săptămâna aceasta, au declarat oficialii locali.

Imaginile au arătat echipe de urgență mergând prin apă până la piept încercând să salveze persoanele blocate în casă în districtul Miyun. Mulți dintre cei care au murit erau, se pare, imobilizați.

Autoritățile locale au recunoscut că au existat „lacune în planificarea situațiilor de urgență” și a spus că incidentul a fost o lecție dureroasă care a servit drept „un semnal de alarmă”.

Un total de 44 de persoane au murit în inundațiile de la Beijing, care au avut loc în timpul unei veri cu vreme extremă în toată China. Valuri de căldură record au lovit regiunile estice la începutul acestei luni, în timp ce inundații separate au cuprins sud-vestul țării.

Aproximativ 77 de locuitori în vârstă se aflau în interiorul casei când au lovit inundațiile, blocând aproximativ 40 dintre ei, nivelul apei crescând la aproape 2 m (6 ft), potrivit presei chineze.

Centrul – situat în orașul Taishitun – îngrijește în principal persoanele cu dizabilități severe, venituri mici sau care primesc alocații minime de trai, relatează presa locală.

„Multă vreme, zona centrală a orașului unde se află azilul de bătrâni a fost considerată sigură, așa că nu a fost inclusă în planul de evacuare”, a declarat un oficial chinez la o conferință de presă de joi.

„Acest lucru dezvăluie că există lacune în planificarea noastră de urgență. Înțelegerea noastră asupra vremii extreme a fost insuficientă, iar această lecție dureroasă a servit drept semnal de alarmă.”

În provincia Hebei din apropiere, 16 persoane au murit din cauza precipitațiilor extreme, au declarat oficialii. În orașul Chengde, opt au fost ucise, iar 18 sunt încă date dispărute.

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Beijing nu este străin de inundații, în special în lunile de vară. Unul dintre cele mai mortale incidente din memoria recentă a avut loc în iulie 2012, când 190 mm de ploaie au inundat orașul într-o singură zi, ucigând 79 de persoane.

În această vară, inundațiile au făcut ravagii în diverse zone ale Chinei.

Două persoane au fost ucise și 10 persoane au dispărut în provincia Shandong la începutul acestei luni, când taifunul Wipha a lovit estul Chinei. Cu două săptămâni mai devreme, o alunecare de teren a ucis trei persoane în orașul Ya’an, în sud-vestul țării.

Vremea extremă, pe care experții o asociază cu schimbările climatice, a amenințat din ce în ce mai mult locuitorii și economia Chinei – în special sectorul agricol, care valorează un trilion de dolari.

Dezastrele naturale din prima jumătate a anului au costat China 54,11 miliarde de yuani (5,7 miliarde de lire sterline), a declarat ministerul pentru gestionarea situațiilor de urgență la începutul acestei luni. Inundațiile au reprezentat peste 90% din pierderi, a adăugat acesta.

Mai multe despre această știre

BBC vizitează regiunea Beijing afectată de inundații mortale

Inundațiile din Beijing ucid 30 de persoane, China înregistrând o vară cu fenomene meteorologice extreme

InundațiiAsiaChinaVreme severă

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Sursa: BBC News

Jihadist suedez condamnat la închisoare pe viață pentru uciderea unui pilot iordanian de către ISIS în Siria

acum 8 oreDistribuieSalveazăTom McArthurBBC NewsDistribuieSalveazăGetty ImagesMoartea lui Moaz al-Kasasbeh a șocat și indignat Iordania (imagine de arhivă)

Acest articol conține descrieri tulburătoare ale morții

Un bărbat suedez deja condamnat pentru comiterea de atacuri jihadiste în Europa a fost condamnat la închisoare pe viață pentru „crime de război grave și crime teroriste” pentru uciderea brutală a unui pilot în Siria acum 10 ani.

O instanță din Stockholm a pronunțat verdictul lui Osama Krayem, care fusese închis pentru atacurile de la Paris și Bruxelles din 2015 și 2016.

Pilotul forțelor aeriene iordaniene, locotenentul Moaz al-Kasasbeh, a fost capturat când avionul său s-a prăbușit în Siria în timpul unei misiuni împotriva grupării Stat Islamic (IS) în 2014.

Jordan a confirmat că a murit după ce un videoclip macabru al IS a părut să-l arate pe tânărul de 26 de ani ars de viu într-o cușcă.

• Profil: Pilotul iordanian Moaz al-Kasasbeh
• Bărbat acuzat de uciderea pilotului iordanian ars de viu de către ISIS

Krayem a negat acuzațiile, a relatat postul public suedez de televiziune SVT, și a declarat că nu este la curent cu planurile crimei.

Deși dovezile au arătat că incendiul care l-a ucis pe locotenentul Kasasbeh a fost aprins de un alt bărbat, Krayem a fost, de asemenea, implicat în crimă, a declarat instanța.

„Inculpatul, prin acțiunile sale, a contribuit atât de activ la moartea pilotului încât ar trebui considerat un făptaș.” a declarat judecătoarea Anna Liljenberg Gullesjo într-un comunicat.

El se afla la locul execuției „în uniformă și înarmat și s-a lăsat filmat” Se adaugă declarația.

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Krayem, în vârstă de 32 de ani, care execută deja o pedeapsă de 30 de ani pentru rolul său în atacurile de la Paris și o pedeapsă pe viață pentru atacurile de la Bruxelles, a primit o a doua condamnare pe viață de către instanța din Stockholm.

Judecătorul a adăugat că acțiunile lui Krayem au constat în „paza victimei atât înainte, cât și în timpul execuției și ducerea ei la cușca unde a fost incendiată”.

De asemenea, instanța a acordat despăgubiri părinților și fraților locotenentului Kasasbeh în valoare de aproximativ 80.000 de coroane suedeze („Este dureros pentru părinții mei să se confrunte din nou cu acest eveniment, dar suntem recunoscători că autoritățile suedeze vor să ne facă dreptate”, a declarat fratele pilotului, Jawdat. al-Kasasbeh, a declarat pentru postul de radio suedez Sveriges Radio când au fost anunțate inițial acuzațiile.

Krayem este originar din orașul suedez Malmö și se crede că a călătorit în Siria în septembrie 2014 pentru a lupta pentru ISIS.

În iunie 2022, a fost condamnat pentru rolul său în atacurile de la Paris din noiembrie 2015 – în care au fost ucise 130 de persoane – și pentru planificarea unui atac separat asupra aeroportului din Amsterdam.

Un an mai târziu, a fost, de asemenea, găsit vinovat de crimă teroristă pentru rolul său în atacurile de la Bruxelles, soldate cu moartea a 32 de persoane.

EuropaSuediaIordaniaGrupul Statul Islamic

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Sursa: BBC News

‘Ca într-un film SF’: Un bebeluș american născut dintr-un embrion congelat de 30 de ani doboară un record

acum 7 oreDistribuieSalveazăDanai Nesta KupembaBBC NewsDistribuieSalveazăGetty ImagesMulte agenții creștine de adopție de embrioni din SUA consideră că programele lor salvează vieți (imagine de fișier)

Un băiețel s-a născut dintr-un cuplu din Ohio dintr-un embrion congelat timp de mai bine de 30 de ani, stabilind, se pare, un nou record mondial.

Lindsey, în vârstă de 35 de ani, și Tim Pierce, în vârstă de 34 de ani, și-au născut fiul, Thaddeus Daniel Pierce, sâmbătă. Doamna Pierce a declarat pentru MIT Technology Review că familia ei s-a gândit „ca dintr-un film SF”.

Se crede că este cea mai lungă perioadă în care un embrion a fost congelat înainte de a rezulta într-o naștere vie reușită. Recordul anterior era deținut de o pereche de gemeni născuți în 2022 din embrioni congelați în 1992.

Soții Pierce au încercat să aibă un copil timp de șapte ani înainte de a decide să adopte embrionul pe care Linda Archerd, în vârstă de 62 de ani, l-a creat împreună cu soțul ei de atunci în 1994 prin fertilizare in vitro.

La acea vreme, doamna Archerd a creat inițial patru embrioni. Unul a devenit fiica ei, care acum are 30 de ani, iar ceilalți trei au fost lăsați în depozit.

Deși s-a despărțit de soțul ei, nu a vrut să scape de embrioni, să-i doneze pentru cercetare sau să-i dea unei alte familii în mod anonim.

A spus că este important să fie implicată în îngrijirea bebelușului, deoarece aceștia ar fi rude cu fiica ei adultă.

Doamna Archerd plătea mii de dolari pe an pentru depozitare până când a găsit o agenție creștină de adopție de embrioni, Nightlight Christian Adoptions, care derulează un program cunoscut sub numele de Snowflakes. Multe dintre aceste agenții consideră că programele lor salvează vieți.

Programul folosit de dna Archerd permite donatorilor să aleagă un cuplu, ceea ce înseamnă că își pot declara preferințele religioase, rasiale și naționale.

Vezi toate știrile de pe într film bebeluș

Preferința dnei Archerd a fost pentru un cuplu căsătorit, caucazian, creștin, care locuiește în SUA, deoarece nu dorea să „ieșă din țară”, a declarat ea pentru MIT Technology Review.

În cele din urmă, s-a potrivit cu familia Pierce.

Clinica de fertilizare in vitro (FIV) din Tennessee, la care cuplul a fost supus procedurii, Rejoice Fertility, a declarat că scopul său a fost transferul oricărui embrion primit, indiferent de vârstă sau afecțiuni.

Doamna Pierce a spus că ea și soțul ei nu și-au propus să „doboare vreun record”, ci doar „și-au dorit să aibă un copil”.

Doamna Archerd a declarat pentru MIT Technology Review că nu a întâlnit încă copilul în persoană, dar că deja poate observa o asemănare cu fiica ei.

Americanii care „adoptă” embrionii altor persoane

FIVStatele Unite

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Sursa: BBC News

EU-US tariff deal not finished yet, say Europeans unhappy with Trump's terms

5 hours agoShareSaveLaura GozziBBC NewsShareSaveGetty ImagesSince the deal was announced criticism of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has mounted

It was all handshakes and smiles when European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump announced that a EU-US trade agreement had been reached after months of wrangling – beating Trump's deadline of 1 August to make a deal.

Many across Europe breathed a sigh of relief that European negotiators had avoided 30% tariffs threatened by Trump months ago. Other countries are still racing to finalise deals with the US to avoid sweeping levies.

But since news of the US-EU deal was announced last weekend, not only has criticism mounted, but it has become clear many details are yet to be ironed out, there are several discrepancies between the two sides and some EU countries will be disproportionately affected.

Only a first step?

Few European leaders rejoiced at the announcement that a 15% tariff would be applied on most EU exports to the US – an improvement on the 30% tariff initially threatened by Trump, but still a substantial hike from the former 4.8% average rate.

LIVE coverage: Trump postpones higher tariffs on Mexico, as other countries scramble for deals

Yet, while expressing regret that the EU had not adopted a tougher negotiating stance, many begrudgingly agreed the deal had at least brought a semblance of certainty and predictability to Europe's businesses after a number of fraught months.

"I would have wished for a different outcome," Germany's finance minister Lars Klingbeil said. "Still, all in all, it is good that there is an agreement with the US, that there are no further escalations."

As of Thursday, a joint statement had yet to be released, although the Commission has emphasised it will not be a legally binding document but a "set of political commitments".

"From there will flow the additional negotiated exemptions that we're looking to bake into our agreement with the US," Commission trade spokesperson Olof Gill said.

The Commission's general outline of the deal stressed it was not legally binding.

The White House fact sheet on the agreement presents none of these caveats and says it achieves "historic structural reforms", but US Commerce chief Howard Lutnick admitted on Wednesday that talks would continue and that EU and US officials were still discussing some aspects of the framework.

"This isn't the end of the story and we won't leave it at that," French President Emmanuel Macron said. "It's the first step in a negotiation process that will continue."

Trade agreements usually take between 18 and 24 months of bilateral negotiations, says Cinzia Alcidi of the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels. "To give some certainty to the industry and private sectors now, the 15% blanket tariff will apply – but then there will be efforts to get some goods a different deal," she says.

Key discrepancies and interpretations

According to the White House, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors will fall under the 15% tariff, with no mention of that number being the upper limit.

But the EU says the two sectors will remain on the current 0% rate for now and until new global tariff rates are agreed. Any future tariffs, according to the EU, will be capped at 15%.

Tariffs on steel and aluminium, according to the US, will remain at 50%. The EU says Brussels and Washington will work to cut that number and that they will be replaced by a quota system to come beyond 1 August.

Some of the most glaring discrepancies can be found in the language used by the two sides to describe the EU's investment commitments.

Where the US statement says the EU "will" purchase intends" to do so as it weans itself off Russian gas and oil.

Not only is it unclear whether the US can even provide such amounts to the EU, says Cinzia Alcidi, but the EU cannot decide purchases on behalf of the private sector.

Similarly, the US says the EU will invest s second term – but the EU states simply that "companies have expressed interest" in investing that sum by 2029. As Brussels cannot force private firms to invest in the US, there is technically no guarantee that amount can or will be reached.

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According to the US, the EU has "agreed to purchase significant amounts" of US military equipment. There is no mention of this in the EU statement.

Nearly 80% of the EU's defence investment already goes to the US, and scaling up further may not be possible; besides, such a commitment would be at odds with von der Leyen's recent ReArm Europe plan, which calls for investments in Europe's domestic defence industry.

And while negotiations continue, the US will also apply a 15% tariff on wine and spirits, the Commission said on Thursday, adding it would continue to try and achieve a carve-out.

On Wednesday, Macron said the agreement had the merit of offering "predictability in the short term" – but also called for Europe to be firmer with the US.

"In order to be free you have to be feared. We weren't feared enough," he said.

Given the amount of detail that still needs hammering out, the next phase of negotiations is set to continue for some time – and after the backlash the Commission received this week, European negotiators may feel under greater pressure to stand their ground.

Getty ImagesThe German automotive industry will face billions in extra costs from the new tariffs

Which countries will be worse off?

Although the 15% tariffs will hit all European countries, they will affect them in different ways.

Germany, Ireland and Italy are particularly exposed due to the nature of their partnerships with the US. For Germany's carmakers, the US represents 13% of their exports worth €34bn (£29bn). Hildegard Müller, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, said the new tariffs would be a costly burden.

Among EU countries, Ireland is the most reliant on the US as an export market. In particular it manufactures and exports pharmaceuticals worth It is what it is and we move on," said Neale Richmond, a minister of state in Ireland's foreign affairs department.

Italy's agricultural, pharmaceutical and automotive sectors will also suffer and the country's gross domestic product (GDP) could take a 0.2% hit as a result of the 15% levy, according to the Italian Institute of International Political Studies.

Cristiano Fini of the Italian Confederation of Farmers said the deal with the US felt more like "a surrender" than an agreement. Several Italian trade associations are now already clamouring for compensation from the EU to make up for the predicted losses.

But that is exactly what the EU needs to resist, says Cinzia Alcidi.

Blanket compensation for EU exporters would end up costing taxpayers, she believes, "and that would constitute a great victory for Trump because it would mean that, ultimately, Europeans are paying the price of his tariffs".

Who are the winners and losers in US-EU trade deal?

The US-EU trade deal in numbers – how it compares to UK deal

France and Germany lead downbeat EU response to US trade deal

Ursula von der LeyenTrump tariffsEuropean Union

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Sursa: BBC News

Gazan boy first to be treated in UK for war injuries

2 hours agoShareSaveCaroline HawleyDiplomatic correspondentShareSaveBBCMajd Shaghnobi arrives at Heathrow airport in London

Majd al-Shaghnobi can't eat or speak or smile like he used to.

But with his injured mouth covered by a surgical mask, his eyes were beaming as he arrived at London's Heathrow airport on a flight from Cairo, with his mother, brother and little sister.

"I'm happy to be in England and to get treatment," the 15-year-old told me.

He was trying to get humanitarian aid in the Kuwaiti area of northern Gaza in February last year when an Israeli tank shell exploded nearby, shattering his jaw bone and injuring his leg.

"One of my friends helped me and took me to the hospital," he says. "They thought I was dead. I had to move my hand to show them that I was alive."

Doctors in Gaza saved his life and Majd spent months in hospital, breathing through a tracheostomy tube, before he was evacuated to Egypt in February this year – with Israel's permission – for further medical treatment.

Now he's in the UK for surgery at Great Ormond Street children's hospital in London to restore the function of his face.

He is the first Gazan child to arrive in the UK for treatment for war injuries, almost two years into a conflict in which more than 50,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured, according to the UN children's charity, Unicef.

'They thought I was dead', Majd tells the BBC

His arrival follows months of work by a group of volunteer medical professionals who came together in November 2023 to set up Project Pure Hope, which helps injured and sick Gazan children get to the UK for treatment. It is funded by private donations.

"The UK is home to some of the best paediatric facilities in the world, yet while countries like the US, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and many others have stepped up to help, the UK has yet to do the same," Project Pure Hope says.

Majd's arrival in the UK comes less than a week after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised to evacuate more badly injured children, although the government has released few details of the plan.

Majd's medical team – all working for free – will include craniofacial, plastic and orthodontic surgeons, with hospital bills paid for by private donations.

"If we're able to give him a face and a jaw which he can use then it won't be completely normal, but hopefully he'll be able to feed himself and speak, and his facial expressions will be better," says lead surgeon Noor ul Owase Jeelani, a professor of Paediatric Neurosurgery at Great Ormond Street.

"Hopefully that's going to make a big impact on how he lives and on his future.

"Our hope is that we will be able to help many more children like him in the coming months. It's our collective moral responsibility."

Doctors from the hospital have previously treated patients from Ukraine, and last year helped separate co-joined twins in Israel.

Professor Jeelani is disappointed that it has taken so long for the first child from Gaza to be treated for war injuries in the UK.

"As a doctor and as a human, I don't quite understand why it's taken us over 20 months to get to this stage," he says.

Project Pure Hope has identified 30 critically injured children in Gaza who it hopes to help bring to the UK. It says the government's announcement is "vital and long-overdue", but time is of the essence.

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"Every day of delay risks the lives and futures of children who deserve a chance to live, to recover and to rebuild a life," said Omar Din, its co-founder.

Ghena (left) and Rama in a playground in the UK

In April, the group of volunteers secured visas for two girls -13-year-old Rama and five-year-old Ghena – with life-long medical conditions to also have privately funded operations in the UK.

They were brought to London after being evacuated to Egypt from Gaza, where – with the destruction of the healthcare system there – they weren't receiving the treatment they needed.

Since I met them in early May, Rama has put on weight and Ghena, who was deeply traumatised and withdrawn, is noticeably more playful.

Ghena has had laser surgery to relieve the pressure in her left eye, which she was at risk of losing. And Rama has had exploratory surgery for a serious bowel condition.

Ghena was at risk of losing her left eye

Both girls are doing well, their mothers say.

But they are sick with worry – finding it hard to eat and sleep – about family members left behind in Gaza, who are now struggling to feed themselves.

"It's better than Gaza here," Rama tells me. "There are no bombs and no fear."

But friends message her from Gaza, telling her that they haven't found bread for 10 days and she says her older brother is sleeping on the street after first his home, and then his tent, were bombed.

"They're hungry. So I don't want to eat either. I feel like I'm still there with them," Rama said.

UN-backed experts said this week there was mounting evidence that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease is driving a rise in hunger-related deaths among the 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza.

Majd, who suffered life-changing injuries while out trying to get food for his family, is also worried about his two brothers still in Gaza.

"I'm scared that they'll die or something will happen to them," he says. "I just want them to be safe."

Two Gazan girls first to arrive in UK for medical treatment

Dozens killed seeking food in Gaza, hospital says, as US envoy arrives in Israel

Canada follows France and UK with plan to recognise Palestinian state

Israel-Gaza warIsrael

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Sursa: BBC News

US envoy to visit Gaza, as hospital says dozens killed seeking food

1 hour agoShareSaveDavid GrittenBBC News, JerusalemJames ChaterBBC News, SydneyShareSaveGetty ImagesFunerals have been taking place of Palestinians killed while seeking humanitarian aid in the Zikim area of Gaza City.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Gaza on Friday to inspect food distribution sites, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed.

Leavitt said Witkoff would visit the territory along with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and "secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear first-hand about this dire situation on the ground".

Witkoff, who is on a visit to Israel, also had a "productive" meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the press secretary added.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said 111 people had been killed, 91 of them while seeking aid, in the 24 hours before Thursday midday.

A hospital director told the BBC that more than 50 Palestinians were killed and 400 others injured while waiting for food near a crossing in northern Gaza on Wednesday.

Footage showed casualties from the incident near the Zikim crossing being taken on carts to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defence agency said Israeli forces fired at the crowds gathered around aid lorries. The Israeli military said troops fired "warning shots" but that it was "not aware of any casualties".

Israeli officials have threatened that if there is no progress in the coming days on a ceasefire and hostage release deal, then they may take new punitive steps against Hamas. Israeli media reported that those could include annexing parts of Gaza.

Shortly after his envoy's arrival in Israel, US President Donald Trump wrote on social media: "The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!"

Witkoff will visit Gaza a day after his meeting with Netanyahu, where they focused on "dilemmas" such as food and aid in Gaza, Leavitt said.

The announcement comes after reports that he would visit food distribution sites run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

In Gaza, the health ministry said on Thursday that 111 people had been killed and 820 others injured by Israel's military offensive in the last 24 hours.

In a separate statement, the ministry said two people had died of malnutrition in the past day, bringing the total number of malnutrition deaths since the start of the war to 159, including 90 children.

On Tuesday, UN-backed global food security experts warned that the "worst-case scenario of famine" was "currently playing out" among the 2.1 million population.

UN agencies have said there is man-made, mass starvation in Gaza and blamed Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies to Gaza. But Israel has insisted that there are no restrictions on aid deliveries and that there is "no starvation".

Despite that, four days ago it implemented measures that it has said are aimed at helping the UN and its partners collect aid from crossings and distribute it within Gaza, including daily "tactical pauses" in military operations in three areas and the creation of what it calls "designated humanitarian corridors".

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday that 43 aid packages containing food for residents in southern and northern Gaza had been airdropped, and "it would continue to work in order to improve the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip, along with the international community".

The UN's humanitarian office has said the tactical pauses do not allow for the continuous flow of supplies required to meet the immense needs of the population, and that desperately hungry crowds continue to offload supplies from lorries as they pass through Israeli crossings.

The director of al-Shifa hospital, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, told the BBC on Thursday morning that it had received the bodies of 54 people who were killed in the incident in the Zikim area on Wednesday, as well as 412 injured people.

On Wednesday night, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency told AFP news agency that at least 30 people were killed when Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd waiting for aid there.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that its al-Saraya field hospital and al-Quds hospital in Gaza City had received a total of six dead and 274 injured from the same incident.

The IDF said in a statement that "dozens of Gazans was identified gathering around aid trucks in northern Gaza, and in close proximity to IDF troops operating in the area".

"The troops fired warning shots in the area, not directed at the gathering, in response to the threat posed to them," it added.

"According to an initial inquiry, the IDF is not aware of any casualties as a result of IDF fire. The details of the incident are still being examined."

International journalists are blocked by Israel from entering Gaza independently, so it is difficult to verify what happened.

However, one man interviewed by a local freelance journalist working for the BBC said he knew a teenage boy who was killed.

"In the current situation, there is no food or water. People go to get food from the Zikim area, where they are targeted. He went to bring flour but came back carried in the flour bag," he said.

"What was his fault? They sniped him in the middle of his head. He wasn't carrying a rock, or a weapon, or doing anything wrong. His only fault was being Palestinian and living in Gaza."

Vezi mai multe știri aici

Abu Taha al-Kafarneh, a unemployed father of two who was the main breadwinner for his family, was also among the dead, another man told the BBC.

"He went to get a bag of flour to secure his food for the day… He didn't want to trade it, sell it, or profit from it like many of the looting merchants," he said.

He added: "They [Israel] claim they let food in, but instead increase the number of those killed and martyred as much as they can. The morgue is full."

On Wednesday morning, hospital sources told the BBC that six people were killed near an aid distribution centre run by GHF in the Rafah area.

The IDF told the BBC a "gathering of suspects" it said posed a threat to its troops were told to move away, and subsequently the army fired "warning shots" at a distance of "hundreds of metres away" from the site.

The military also said that "an initial review suggests that the number of casualties reported does not align with the information held by the IDF".

The GHF said no killings took place at or near its sites on Wednesday.

According to the UN human rights office, at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while trying to get food aid since the GHF began operating in late May. It said most of them were killed by the Israeli military.

It said last week that at least 766 of them had been killed in the vicinity of one of the GHF's four distribution centres, which are operated by US private security contractors and are located inside Israeli military zones.

Another 288 people had been killed near UN and other aid convoys, it added.

It said the office had "no information that these Palestinians were directly participating in hostilities or posed any threat to Israeli security forces".

"Each person killed or injured had been desperately struggling for survival, not only for themselves, but also for their families and dependents," it said, adding that an increasing number of Palestinians were "dying from malnutrition and starvation".

Israel has accused Hamas of instigating the chaos near the aid sites. It says its troops have only fired warning shots and that they do not intentionally shoot civilians.

The GHF has said the UN is using "false" figures from Gaza's health ministry.

The organisation has said it has handed out more than 98 million meals over the past two months and that it stands ready to work with the UN to deliver aid.

However, the UN has refused to co-operate with the GHF's system, saying it is unsafe and violates the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 60,249 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 111 over the past day, according to the territory's health ministry.

Seven more die from malnutrition in Gaza, Hamas-run ministry says

Famine 'currently playing out' in Gaza, UN-backed experts warn

More than 60,000 people killed in Gaza during Israel offensive, Hamas-run health ministry says

Middle EastIsrael-Gaza warIsraelGaza

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Sursa: BBC News

Un băiat și mama sa se numără printre morți, iar Kievul spune că a înregistrat cel mai mare număr de copii victime ale războiului.

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Sursa: BBC News

SUA va refuza vizele oficialilor palestinieni

acum 43 de minuteDistribuieSalveazăTom BatemanCorespondent al Departamentului de StatDistribuieSalveazăAFPDeclarația a venit de la biroul Departamentului de Stat al lui Marco Rubio

SUA spune că va impune sancțiuni palestinienilor organizație de autoguvernare, precum și organismul care o reprezintă pe scena internațională.

Sancțiunile afectează atât Autoritatea Palestiniană (AP), care a fost înființată prin acordurile de pace de la Oslo, cât și Organizația pentru Eliberarea Palestinei (OEP), care a fost recunoscută după același proces ca reprezentant oficial al poporului palestinian în schimbul recunoașterii Israelului și renunțării la violență.

Departamentul de Stat a declarat că va refuza vizele membrilor OEP și oficialilor AP.

Momentul și limbajul declarației sugerează că este răspunsul administrației Trump la conferința condusă de Franța și Arabia Saudită la Națiunile Unite, care a avut loc în această săptămână pentru a mobiliza sprijin pentru o viitoare soluție cu două state.

Întâlnirea a avut loc în contextul în care Franța, Marea Britanie și Canada s-au angajat recunoașterea unui stat palestinian independent și demilitarizat la sfârșitul acestui an, în unele cazuri sub rezerva anumitor condiții.

SUA a criticat aceste acțiuni, avertizând în privat asupra consecințelor diplomatice dacă cei care participă la conferința ONU ar face declarații „anti-Israel”.

În anunțul său privind sancțiunile, Departamentul de Stat a acuzat Autoritatea Palestiniană și OEP că au luat măsuri pentru a „internaționaliza conflictul său cu Israelul, cum ar fi prin intermediul Curții Penale Internaționale (CPI) și al Curții Internaționale de Justiție (CIJ)”.

De asemenea, a făcut referire la o serie de plângeri de lungă durată din partea SUA și Israelului, conform cărora OEP și AP au continuat „să sprijine terorismul, inclusiv incitarea și glorificarea violenței (în special în manuale) și să ofere plăți și beneficii în sprijinul terorismului teroriștilor palestinieni și familiilor acestora”.

Administrația Trump a ridicat la începutul acestui an sancțiunile impuse coloniștilor israelieni violenți care au ucis palestinieni în Cisiordania ocupată.

Un important politician palestinian a descris măsura de sancțiuni drept „răzbunare” a SUA pentru angajamentele de recunoaștere a statalității palestiniene de către un număr tot mai mare de țări.

AP pare să fi exprimat acest sentiment într-o declarație publicată joi.

„Aceste campanii s-au intensificat ca răspuns la realizările semnificative și succesive ale diplomației palestiniene.” se spunea.

„În special recentele recunoașteri ale Statului Palestina de către țări cheie, conferința de succes a Națiunilor Unite de la New York și declarația istorică emisă în cadrul acesteia.”

ReutersPrim-ministrul britanic Keir Starmer a anunțat săptămâna aceasta că Regatul Unit va recunoaște un stat palestinian în septembrie, cu excepția cazului în care Israelul îndeplinește anumite condiții.

Mustafa Barghouti, fondatorul Inițiativei Naționale Palestiniene (PNI), care face parte din OEP, a declarat că SUA vizează partea greșită.

Urmărește cele mai importante știri

El a declarat pentru BBC: „Administrația Trump, în loc să-i pedepsească pe criminalii care comit crime de război în Gaza și în Cisiordania, care este Israel, în schimb… pedepsește victima, care este poporul palestinian.”

Israelul a salutat sancțiunile și i-a mulțumit secretarului de stat american Marco Rubio pentru impunerea lor.

„Această acțiune importantă a [președintelui Trump] și a administrației sale expune, de asemenea, distorsiunea morală a anumitor țări care au candidat pentru a recunoaște un stat palestinian virtual, închizând ochii la sprijinul său pentru teroare și incitare”, a declarat ministrul de externe Gideon Sa’ar.

AP a respins întotdeauna plângerile privind „salarii”, spunând că plățile sunt indemnizații pentru familiile tuturor prizonierilor palestinieni deținuți sub ocupația militară a Israelului, mulți dintre aceștia neavând dreptul la un proces echitabil și fiind deținuți cu încălcarea celei de-a patra Convenții de la Geneva.

Palestinienii îi consideră pe toți cei deținuți de Israel și închiși de instanțele sale militare, care au o rată de condamnare de 99%, drept prizonieri politici. Oficiali francezi au declarat săptămâna trecută că Autoritatea Palestiniană și-a exprimat disponibilitatea de a pune capăt acestor plăți ca răspuns la angajamentul Franței de a recunoaște un stat palestinian.

Conferința ONU din această săptămână a izolat și mai mult SUA în sprijinul său pentru modul în care Israelul a continuat războiul din Gaza, lucru pe care multe țări l-au criticat la reuniune.

Conferința a scos la iveală un vid strategic lăsat de Washington, care în mod tradițional a condus eforturile diplomatice către o pace viabilă pe termen lung între israelieni și palestinieni.

Interdicția de călătorie impusă oficialilor palestinieni ar putea fi concepută ca o măsură mai limitată decât o gamă completă de sancțiuni financiare. Este deja un proces complex și lung pentru oficialii Autorității Palestiniene și ai OEP de a obține vize pentru a călători în SUA, necesitând scutiri speciale care sunt rareori acordate.

Încă nu este clar dacă această mișcare ar afecta vreun oficial care lucrează pentru misiunea palestiniană la Națiunile Unite din New York. Actualul ambasador palestinian la ONU și adjunctul său sunt ambii cetățeni americani.

Lammy speră că planul de recunoaștere a statului palestinian va obține armistițiu

Regatul Unit va recunoaște statul palestinian dacă Israelul nu îndeplinește anumite condiții

Ce înseamnă recunoașterea unui stat palestinian?

Războiul Israel-GazaTeritoriile palestinieneStatele Unite

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Sursa: BBC News