Headlines
In the aftermath of an attack on a Gaza Strip hospital that claimed hundreds of lives, Palestinians staged protests in the West Bank for a second day on Wednesday. Rock-throwing protestors, who have vented their anger at the incident—which they blame on Israel—were dispersed by Palestinian security forces using tear gas. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was also a target of the protesters. Israel denies that it attacked the hospital.
Following extensive discussions with Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the two have agreed to develop a plan for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. As for the UN, it reports that most Palestinians in Gaza lack access to water, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns Iran and Hezbollah not to get involved.
Turkey’s border with Armenia may soon reopen after more than 30 years following Azerbaijan’s recapture of the Nagorno-Karabakh area from ethnic Armenians.
One of the most visited places in the world, Jerusalem’s Old City, has closed its stores, churches, and other public areas due to the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas militants, that started on October 7. Tourists and pilgrims have fled the city in fear of escalating violence.
The US has reiterated its call that innocent civilians fleeing the Israel-Hamas conflict be given basic necessities and protection. A US senator has also strongly warned Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah over concerns of a wider regional conflict.
Concerns about Jewish safety have been raised globally by Hamas’s calls for solidarity events. From Washington state, Natasha Mozgovaya is on a US campus where tensions were visible.
Following the first Friday prayers since the start of the Israeli-Hamas war less than a week ago, Jerusalem was explosive on Friday, with clashes outside the Old City near the Palestinian-Israeli border. Yan Boechat has this report from Jerusalem.
Scrap-metal trader MD Alam was sleeping in his riverside cabin along the Teesta River in northeast India on Oct. 4 when he received an urgent phone call.
In March, Michael Amushelelo, a Namibian activist, was arrested along with three others. Hundreds to two hundred people showed up in support of Michael. They were asking for his immediate release when they gathered during his trial.
A potential Hezbollah attack has prompted the evacuation of some towns in northern Israel. And as Yan Boechat reports for VOA from Metula, Israel, soldiers prepare for what they fear could become a new front while Israel shoots down rockets over the city.