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US-Israeli Gaza genocide

More than 40 people are killed as Israeli warplanes bomb the displaced Palestinians taking refuge in tents and camps in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The Palestine Red Crescent said in a statement on its X social media account that the death toll is likely to rise as its ambulance crews are transporting a large number of injured to partially-functioning hospitals. It added that the area targeted near the UN headquarters was designated by Israel as safe. Palestinian resistance movements, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have strongly condemned the regime’s attacks. In separate statements, they said US President Joe Biden and his administration are directly responsible for the Israeli crimes. The US continues to provide financial, military and political support to Israel. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October last year.

Famine in Gaza

A UN agency has warned that an estimated 15,000 pregnant women are among half of Gaza's population that is at the risk of an imminent famine. The United Nations Population Fund attributes the situation to the continued Israeli blockade on life-saving aid to Gaza. The UNPF said Israel has closed the doors to humanitarian aid and opened the gates to starvation in the territory. The agency added that the catastrophe is incomprehensible and entirely avoidable. The UN and other international aid agencies have repeatedly issued such warnings to Israel but to no avail. Israeli forces on the ground have attacked aid workers and Palestinians waiting for food assistance on numerous occasions. According to the UN, 254 aid workers have been killed since Israel launched its war on Gaza late last year.

Saudi Arabia-Syria relations

Saudi Arabia has announced the appointment of its first ambassador to Syria since cutting ties with Damascus more than a decade ago. The move marks the latest in thawing relations between Damascus and the Arab world. Saudi Arabia resumed diplomatic relations with Syria in May 2023. Last year, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan visited Syria, days after a visit by his Syrian counterpart to the kingdom. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also visited Saudi Arabia last year to attend an Arab League Summit. That’s after Syria was readmitted to the group. Several Arab countries have re-opened their embassies in Syria in recent years. Most of them closed their missions in Damascus after the outbreak of a deadly foreign-backed militancy in Syria in 2011.

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