A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing during Israeli bombardment over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on February 11, 2024. (Photo by Said Khatib / AFP)
Doha, Qatar: Qatar, along with many other countries, warned Israel of humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza after Israeli threats of storming Rafah, the last city where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are seeking refuge.
At least 40 Palestinians have been killed and dozens more injured in overnight Israeli bombardment of residential areas across Rafah city in Gaza, stated Al Jazeera.
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[10pm Doha Time] Egyptian health minister visited a number of injured Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who are receiving treatment in Qatar. Read more.
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[7pm Doha Time] Palestinian President arrives in Doha
The President of the sisterly State of Palestine HE Mahmoud Abbas, arrived in Doha this evening, on a working visit to the country. Read more.
[3pm Doha Time] Three patients died as Israel prevents oxygen from reaching Al-Amal Hospital: PRCS
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has detailed the events that preceded the delivery of oxygen cylinders to Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis by the Israeli army that has been besieging the medical facility for weeks.
“In reality, they have prevented oxygen from reaching the hospital for over a week, resulting in the deaths of three patients, despite continuous coordination efforts with international organizations,” the medical charity said on X.
“Two days ago, after significant pressure, we obtained approval to bring oxygen to the hospital. The Palestine Red Crescent ambulance transported 25 oxygen cylinders from Nasser Hospital.
“However, the occupation authorities demanded that the cylinders be placed closest to the hospital, promising to deliver them. The following day, only 21 oxygen cylinders were placed in front of the hospital building by the occupation forces,” the PRCS added.
[2:45pm Doha Time] More than 700 million litres of wastewater leaked in Gaza City streets: Municipality
More than 700 million litres of wastewater had leaked in the streets of Gaza City and the seaside since Israeli offensive was launched on October 7, according to the municipality of Gaza.
“This is considered a health and environmental catastrophe and threatens the city’s underground reserves,” it said in a post on X.
[2pm Doha Time] Oman affirms rejection of Israeli occupation's intention to storm Rafah
The Sultanate of Oman affirmed its categorical rejection of the Israeli occupation's plans to storm and target the city of Rafah which is now sheltering hundreds of thousands of unarmed Palestinian civilians who were displaced from the northern Gaza Strip as a result of Israel's brutal aggression, in a blatant defiance of international law and international humanitarian law. Read more
[1pm Doha Time] Gaza Strip death toll rises to 28,176
At least 112 people have been killed and 173 others injured in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 28,176, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The ministry in a statement on Sunday said at least 67,784 others have been wounded since Israel launched its brutal military offensive on October 7.
Thousands more are missing and are presumed dead, trapped and missing under the rubble and on the roads, with Israeli forces preventing ambulance and civil defence crews from reaching them.
More than 70 percent of the houses have been damaged in Gaza, home to 2.3 million people, as Israel has been accused of carrying out indiscriminate attacks on residential and commercial areas.
[12pm Doha Time] Palestinian Foreign Ministry slams killing of Hind Rajab
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has condemned the Israeli army’s “execution” of six-year-old Hind Rajab.
“We condemn the heinous crime of the occupation forces against the child Hind, her family and the ambulance crew who went to save her,” it said in a statement on X.
“The complex crime against the child Hind, her family and the paramedics sounds the alarm about the lives of tens of thousands of missing people in Gaza,” the statement added.
“The crime of executing the child Hind, her family and the Red Crescent staff obliges the International Criminal Court to shoulder its responsibilities,” the ministry also said.
The body of a six-year-old Palestinian girl, missing for 12 days after an Israeli tank targeted their family car in Gaza, has been found along with the bodies of two medics dispatched to look for them.
[11am Doha Time] Pro-Palestinian protestors stage demonstration at Museum of Modern Art in New York
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protestors have staged a demonstration at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, demanding the institution cut ties with donors linked to Israel.
A video posted on social media showed protestors draping banners from the museum’s upper floors and chanting, “Free, free Palestine”.
MoMA closed its galleries to the public at around 3:45pm on Saturday, after protestors took over the building’s second-floor atrium during the demonstration, which coincided with a protest at the city’s Brooklyn Museum, online arts magazine Hyperallergic reported.
[10:30am Doha Time] UNRWA says agency not informed about alleged tunnel under Gaza headquarters
Commissioner-General of UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini said that the agency did not know what is under its headquarters in Gaza, referring to reports through the media regarding a tunnel under the UNRWA Headquarters in Gaza.
UNRWA staff left its headquarters in Gaza City on 12 October following the Israeli evacuation orders and as bombardment intensified in the area, Lazzarini wrote on X.
"We have not used that compound since we left it nor are we aware of any activity that may have taken place there," he said, adding "We understand, through media reporting, that the Israeli Army has deployed troops within the UNRWA Headquarters in Gaza City. We are therefore unable to confirm or otherwise comment on these reports."
In times of "no active conflict" UNRWA inspects inside its premises every quarter, the last inspection for the UNRWA Gaza premises was completed in September 2023, Lazzarini pointed out.
The Commissioner-General said that UNRWA is a Human development and humanitarian organization that does not have the military and security expertise nor the capacity to undertake military inspections of what is or might be under its premises.
In the past, whenever suspicious cavity was found close to or under UNRWA premises, protest letters were promptly filed to parties to the conflict, and the matter was consistently reported in annual reports presented to the General Assembly and made public, he added.
These recent media reports merit an independent inquiry that is currently not possible to undertake given Gaza is an active war zone, he underlined.
The Israeli entity's authorities have not informed UNRWA officially about the alleged tunnel, Lazzarini said.
[10am Doha Time] IMF warns widening of Gaza war would aggravate economic harm
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that any widening of the war in Gaza would aggravate the economic harm caused by the conflict.
In a speech at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the impact of the war was being felt in reduced tourism in Middle Eastern countries, as well as rising freight costs and declining shipping in the Red Sea.
Georgieva said, however, that she was confident about the overall economic outlook despite the uncertainties as the global economy has proved resilient so far.
