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Ronaldo walks off to chants of ‘Messi! Messi!’ as Al-Nassr loses 3-0 to Al-Hilal in Riyadh derby

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RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo walked off the field with the gleeful chants of “Messi! Messi!” ringing in his ears from delighted Al-Hilal fans who had just watched their Saudi Pro League team beat the Portugal superstar’s Al-Nassr 3-0 in the Riyadh Derby on Friday.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner may have finished on the losing team — Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice after fellow Serbian Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened Al-Hilal — but Ronaldo still remains the focus of attention in Saudi Arabian soccer despite the taunts of opposition fans referencing his great rival of nearly two decades.

When Ronaldo warmed up, there were cheers from the several thousand away fans, many of whom had No. 7 on their backs, and jeers from the masses of home supporters. But even in those hostile sections, parents pointed out the 38-year-old soccer great to sons and daughters.

Saudi soccer has not been the same since the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward completed a move last December. Even fans of Al-Hilal, the most successful club in Saudi Arabia and Asia, with 18 and four championships respectively, acknowledge what he has done at Al-Nassr which has nine domestic titles.

“He has lifted the level of the whole of football here,” Riyadh resident Fahad Al-Qahtani, 25, told The Associated Press. “Al-Hilal will still be champion this season and we are still the biggest in Asia but Ronaldo has been amazing.”

In the previous 14 games of the league season, Ronaldo had netted 15 goals to top the scoring charts and help Al-Nassr move into second in the league behind Al-Hilal. His teammates now include former Liverpool star Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan and Alex Telles, who arrived from Manchester United.

“Cristiano is an example for everyone, an example that Al-Nassr are lucky to have,” Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro said. “He is an example of rigor, ambition and discipline. Lots of people want to be like Cristiano Ronaldo but few want to work like Cristiano Ronaldo. If you want something you have to give everything to get it.”

Ronaldo tried everything on Friday. In the second half with Al-Nassr trailing by a solitary goal, he shot a fierce volley high into the net but it was marginally ruled out for offside. Soon after he rolled around the floor of the Al-Hilal penalty area claiming that he had been elbowed. When Mitrovic scored his first and Al-Hilal’s second late in the game, Ronaldo insisted that he had been fouled in the buildup.

Hilal has its own superstar but a less influential one right now as Neymar, who signed from Paris Saint-Germain in August, suffered a serious injury while on international duty with Brazil in October.

On social media, Neymar posted good luck messages to his teammates, such as Mitrovic, midfielder Ruben Neves and defender Kalidou Koulibaly who all arrived in the summer as highly rated English Premier League players. They joined several Saudi Arabian internationals in the team such as Salem Al-Dawsari and Saleh Al-Shehri, who scored against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Saudi Arabia’s famous 2-1 win at the 2022 World Cup.

The derby defeat on Friday left Al-Nassr seven points behind leader Al-Hilal after 15 rounds. Ronaldo may have his work cut out to help his team win title No. 10 but, given his form so far this season, he may still have the last laugh with the Messi chants fading away.

Ronaldo’s day was further soured with news from the U.S. that he has been hit with a class-action lawsuit seeking at least $1 billion in damages for his role in promoting cryptocurrency-related “non-fungible tokens,” or NFTs, issued by the beleaguered cryptocurrency exchange Binance.

South African lawmakers vote in favor of closing Israel’s embassy and cutting diplomatic ties

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JOHANNESBURG: A majority of South African lawmakers on Tuesday voted in favor of a motion calling for the closure of the Israeli embassy and the cutting of diplomatic ties until Israel agrees to a cease-fire in Gaza.

The vote on the motion supported by the ruling African National Congress party came as President Cyril Ramaphosa in a meeting with other world leaders accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza with its military offensive in the besieged territory in search of its Hamas militant rulers.

The motion tabled by the opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters received the support of 248 parliament members while 91 lawmakers opposed it.

The vote came after Israel’s foreign ministry said it had recalled its ambassador to South Africa, Eliav Belotserkovsky, back to Jerusalem “for consultations.”

The two countries’ diplomatic relations have witnessed a rise in tensions over the war in Gaza. Ramaphosa previously said his country believes Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians have been killed.

South Africa announced last week that it had referred what it called Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza to the International Criminal Court for an investigation. Its cabinet has called on the ICC to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Earlier this month, South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel and withdrew all its diplomatic staff.

Ramaphosa’s new comments Tuesday came in a virtual meeting of BRICS countries attended by leaders of the bloc including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Israel-Hamas war began after the Palestinian militant group’s surprise attacks on Israel on Oct.7 killed about 1,200 people. Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza have killed more than 12,700 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel forces search Gaza hospital as civilians stranded inside

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Israeli forces were searching building to building at Gaza’s main hospital Thursday as Hamas said the military had “destroyed” parts of the compound where deep concern has mounted for the up to thousands of Palestinians trapped inside.

Soldiers raided the Al-Shifa a day ago in the hunt for a command centre they say the militants built below the complex, a charge denied by Hamas and leaders of the hospital that has become a focal point of the war.

“The soldiers are proceeding one building at a time, searching each floor, all while hundreds of patients and medical staff remain in the complex,” an Israeli army official said.

Ashraf Al-Qudra, spokesman for the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, told AFP Israeli troops “destroyed the radiology service, and bombed the burns and dialysis departments”.

“Thousands of women, children, sick and wounded are in danger of death,” he said.

Before Israel first sent troops into the hospital complex on Wednesday, UN agencies estimated that 2,300 patients, staff and displaced civilians were sheltering at Al-Shifa without enough food, water and fuel for generators.

Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas in retaliation for the attacks of October 7, which killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and saw about 240 people hostage, according to Israeli officials.

The Israeli military says 51 of its troops have been killed in Gaza since fighting began.

But with the Hamas government media office saying the death toll from the offensive has now topped 11,500, including thousands of children, calls for a truce are mounting.

Gaza’s 36 hospitals have been caught in the war, with more than half rendered non-functioning by shortages, combat and damage, the UN has said.

The Red Crescent said a “violent attack” was underway on Gaza’s Al-Ahli hospital, which was hit by a deadly strike on October 17.

Hamas blamed the blast on Israel, while Israel said a misfired Islamic Jihad group rocket was responsible, a position supported by US and some other western security officials.

“Israeli military tanks besiege Al-Ahli Baptist hospital in Gaza, and violent attack is underway. (Red Crescent) teams are unable to move and reach those who are injured,” the group said on social media.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday set aside deep divisions over the conflict to agree a resolution calling for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses” in fighting.

The resolution — which passed with abstentions from the United States, Britain and Russia — called on Hamas and Israel to protect civilians, “especially children”.

Israel has agreed to temporary localised pauses in fighting, but has rejected calls for a broader ceasefire.

“The @UN Security Council’s resolution is disconnected from reality and is meaningless,” Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, wrote on X.

He also reiterated the Israeli government’s war aims, saying: “Israel will continue to act until Hamas is destroyed and the hostages are returned.”

The Israeli foreign ministry called Thursday on the Security Council and the international community to “stand firm on the prompt release” of all those kidnapped.

“Extended humanitarian pauses are untenable as long as 239 abductees remain in the hands of Hamas terrorists,” it said.

Israel has concentrated its heavy bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza City, announcing this week the seizure of the parliament building, government offices, Hamas police headquarters and key port.

Israel’s army claimed an initial raid in Al-Shifa had uncovered military equipment, weapons and what spokesman Daniel Hagari described as “an operational headquarters with comms equipment”.

A video narrated by another Israeli army spokesman showed rifles and ammunition magazines inside an area he identified as Al-Shifa’s MRI scanner building.

“This was hidden very conveniently, secretly behind the MRI machine, said the spokesman, Jonathan Conricus.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza argued Wednesday the Israeli military did not find any weapons when it raided the hospital.

The death and suffering in the densely populated coastal territory has prompted growing concern for Gaza’s civilians, who have fled south to try to escape the heaviest combat.

Gaza City’s Al-Quds Hospital was evacuated during fighting in the area, forcing patients to make their way south to other facilities.

“We were in pain along the road… I feel pain in the knee,” said Ahmad Abou-Sabra, wounded evacuee.

“The situation was bad, and the distance. We stayed in the army (checkpoint) for more than two hours,” he told AFP at a Palestinian Red Crescent hospital in Khan Yunis.

Over a month after the Hamas attack, mourners gathered for the funeral of 74-year-old Israeli-Canadian peace activist Vivian Silver whose killing was confirmed days ago.

“Vivian was a woman who believed in peace. She was a woman who, in moments of despair, would bring us back the hope,” peace activist Ghadir Hani said. “She believed that, both in Gaza and around Gaza, we all deserve to live in peace.”

Call for war probe
UN human rights chief Volker Turk pointed to what he called serious allegations of international law violations in the Israel-Hamas war and suggested an international investigation was needed.

“Where national authorities prove unwilling or unable to carry out such investigations, and where there are contested narratives on particularly significant incidents, international investigation is called for,” he said in a briefing to UN member states in Geneva.

Polls in Israel show widespread public support for military action against Hamas following the October 7 attacks, the worst in the country’s history.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Netanyahu, who has led Israel on-and-off for 16 years, is under intense domestic pressure to account for political and security failings surrounding the attack.

Protesters have taken to the streets demanding greater efforts to free the hostages.

Waugh-supported centre for children bat for Australia

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Steve Waugh's donation ensures the children get involved with tertiary study and vocational training and later get placements in various sectors. (Photo | Udayan)

KOLKATA:  Legendary former Australian captain Steve Waugh got associated with Udayan, a residential centre for the rehabilitation of leprosy patients’ children on the outskirts of Kolkata, 25 years ago. A meeting with Mother Teresa in the city in 1996 inspired him to begin charity work and a couple of years later he decided to help out children of leprosy patients through the non-government organisation.

Since then the association as one of the patrons of the NGO has only grown with the World Cup-winning captain also making sure he visits the centre whenever he is in the country. The last visit he made to the centre located at Sewli Telinipara village, Barrackpore, was in 2020 when the centre celebrated its 50th anniversary.

With Australia playing South Africa in their all-important semifinal in the city on Thursday, the children have decided to cheer for the team from Down Under which once was led with great pride by their philanthropist. “The children are not visiting the stadium for the match. Instead, they will watch it live on a projector at our recreation centre,” Dipak Sahu, director of Udayan, told this daily.

As Waugh is not here at the venue, where his team once famously won its maiden World Cup with him being an integral part of it, the children wanted to send a message saying they are standing firm behind the team from his country. “At the moment, the NGO is supporting 113 girls and 157 boys. All of them along with us will watch the match and cheer for the Aussies. We have been certified by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India and Waugh donates around Rs 40 lakh to `50 lakh every year through it to Udayan,” informs Sahu.

The centre aims at providing children quality education including tertiary study and training like nursing, mechanics and physiotherapy which in turn provides them job opportunities. Waugh’s donation ensures the children get involved with tertiary study and vocational training. “His donation helps us impart employment-based training to children which in turn helps them land jobs and make a living out of it. He is one of our patrons and his continued support is one of the reasons we are able to deliver year after year,” signed off Sahu.

Mohamed Muizzu, to be sworn in as Maldivian president, vows to expel Indian troops, says will not allow China, any other nation to replace them

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FILE: Mohamed Muizzu speaks during an election campaign rally in Thinadhoo on September 26, 2023, ahead of the second round of the Maldives' presidential election. (Photo | AFP)

The Maldives’s incoming president Mohamed Muizzu has vowed to expel Indian troops after taking office later this week.

“Maldives is too small to be entangled in geopolitical rivalry,” the president-elect said in an interview on the strategically located Indian Ocean archipelago. “I am not very much interested to engage the Maldivian foreign policy in this.”

Muizzu’s election success in September hinged on a sustained campaign against India’s outsized political and economic clout in the Maldives, and specifically his pledge to eject Indian forces.

But he said he will not allow China — or any other nation — to replace them, and dismissed reports of him being closer to Beijing. He insists he is only “pro-Maldives”.

“We are going to work together with all the countries, India, China and all other countries as well,” the 45-year-old leader, who will be sworn in on Friday, said at his home in the capital Male.

Known for its pristine beaches and secluded resorts as one of the most expensive holiday destinations in South Asia, the Maldives has also become a geopolitical hotspot.

Global east-west shipping lanes pass the nation’s chain of 1,192 tiny coral islands, scattered around 800 kilometres (500 miles) across the equator.

Muizzu was regarded as a proxy of pro-China former president Abdulla Yameen, who had shifted the country heavily into Beijing’s orbit till his 2018 defeat.

Muizzu said he hoped to begin formal negotiations with New Delhi on the withdrawal of an estimated 50 to 75 Indian personnel, a sensitive campaign issue.

“The people of the Maldives did not vote for me to allow any military presence in the Maldives,” the British-educated civil engineer added.

“That is why we are talking with the Indian government to remove them, and I’m sure we can do that in a peaceful and democratic manner.”

Muizzu said his mandate was to remove a unit of Indian security personnel, deployed to operate three aircraft gifted to the Maldives to patrol its vast maritime territory.

“I’m not asking for the Indian troops to leave our country to make room for any other country to bring their military troops here,” he said.

Regional power India had considered the Maldives with its population of about 380,000 Sunni Muslims to be within its sphere of influence, but had been worried about China’s expanding footprint during Yameen’s administration.

New Delhi has a history of entanglements with Male, including the deployment of soldiers to thwart a 1988 coup attempt.

“For the Maldives, it is very important that we put our interests first… also we want to work together with all the countries, have a good friendly relationship, cordial, candid relationship,” Muizzu said.

The party nominated Muizzu after Yameen was barred from running for office following a criminal conviction of corruption during his five-year term when the country saw a spurt of Chinese-funded construction.

Muizzu, a former housing minister, is credited with implementing Chinese-funded infrastructure projects, including the construction of 7,000 apartments and a landmark bridge linking the capital island Male with the nearby airport island of Hulhule.

“We are situated in a very strategic location, in which many of the sea lanes of communication go across our country,” he said, adding that he was inviting foreign investment to develop ports and logistics as well as set up a tax-free zone.

Muizzu said he was banking on completing the ambitious expansion of the international airport, in a bid to jump-start an economy that was hit by heavy debt and a decline in tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He was hopeful of filling “funding gaps” for the nearly $1 billion expansion of the Velana International Airport, which he sees as a gateway to attracting more foreign direct investment.

But the country’s public and government-guaranteed debt was about $7 billion, or 113.5 percent of GDP at the end of last year, according to official data.

“When we look at the economy, there’s a huge debt that needs to be addressed. The level of confidence of investors to come and invest in Maldives is really low,” Muizzu said.

He said he was keen on expanding ports and harbour-related services to increase domestic earnings, while also looking for debt-free financing for his ambitious economic expansion plans.

In addition, Muizzu said he was seeking up to $500 million in international funding to protect beaches and coral as warming and rising waters threaten his low-lying nation.

Eighty percent of the Maldives is less than a metre (three feet) above sea level, making it one of the countries most threatened by rising sea levels linked to climate change.

The president-elect quoted a report that said 60 percent of corals had been bleached by rising water temperatures.

“Every coral has value, every waterway that is contaminated has a value,” he said, insisting his country must be compensated for “every fish that dies due to global warming”.

Heavy fighting around Gaza’s largest hospital leaves many trapped inside

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Hundreds of patients were trapped and thousands of people sought shelter around Gaza’s largest hospital on Monday, as Israeli troops and Hamas fighters battled near the compound. The Al-Shifa facility in Gaza City has become a focal point in the territory’s bloodiest-ever war, which erupted five weeks ago.

A day after Netanyahu said Israel was bringing its “full force” with the aim of ending Hamas’ 16-year rule in Gaza, residents reported heavy airstrikes and shelling, including around Shifa Hospital.

Israel, without providing evidence, has accused Hamas of concealing a command post inside and under the compound, allegations denied by Hamas and hospital staff.

On Sunday, witnesses at the hospital told AFP that “violent fighting” raged throughout the night. The sounds of small arms fire and aerial bombardments were echoing across the sprawling complex, amid reports that the infirm — including children — were dying for lack of basic provisions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN agencies said as many as 3,000 patients and staff are sheltering inside without adequate fuel, water or food.

Across Gaza City, at the Al-Quds hospital the picture was also said to be dire, with the Palestinian Red Crescent warning it was now out of service due to lack of generator fuel.

Twenty of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are “no longer functioning”, according to the UN’s humanitarian agency.

On October 7, Hamas launched a wave of attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians.

Israel’s relentless campaign in response has killed at least 11,180 people in Gaza, including 4,609 children, according to the Hamas government’s media office.

Pakistan have an impossible task at hand; embattled England aim Champions Trophy berth

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KOLKATA: Nothing less than a miracle will help Pakistan as they face a near-impossible task of making the semifinals by winning with an unthinkable margin, while a charged-up England will look to qualify for the Champions Trophy when the two sides clash in the World Cup here on Saturday.

New Zealand’s net run-rate boosting five wicket-win over Sri Lanka has virtually shattered Pakistan’s semifinal hopes.

The 1992 champions now have to beat England by an improbable margin.

New Zealand’s NRR is +0.743 while Pakistan’s is +0.036, and for the Babar Azam-led side to eclipse the former to qualify as the fourth side, it has to win by around 287 runs batting first.

While chasing, Pakistan need to win with 284 balls to spare. That is an impractical task.

For defending champions England, the World Cup title defence dream may have been over for quite some time now but the Jos Buttler-led side will aim to finish inside top-8 to make the cut for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

As things stand, it’s a four-way race with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands also in the mix with England.

Their 160-run win over the Netherlands in the last match has given down-and-out England the much-needed late charge as they have climbed up to the seventh spot and face the easiest equation among the four teams.

A win against Pakistan should seal the spot, considering that both Bangladesh and the Netherlands face tough opponents in Australia and India respectively, and also have inferior NRRs than England.

Pakistan have failed to live up to the expectations in this World Cup but has shown some late surge in the last two matches to stay alive.

Having played two matches already at Eden Gardens, Pakistan has better knowledge about the conditions which have been slow and spin-friendly during the middle overs.

But they would still need their top-five to fire, which has not been the case so far.

Explosive opener Fakhar Zaman, who put on a spectacular show of power-hitting against New Zealand, missing five matches has been a mystery.

The left-hander has shown what he’s capable of in the last two matches.

He along with Babar, in an unbroken 194-run alliance from 141 balls in their DLS win over New Zealand in the last match, have demonstrated that they can successfully tackle any equation.

England’s late surge 

About a month separated England from their first and last win in the global showpiece.

In between, they lost five matches in a row to see their World Cup campaign go up in smoke.

Ben Stokes and David Malan have done well in the previous two games and it will be an interesting battle against the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Rauf.

Stokes is slowly coming to his own with a half-century and an 84-ball 108 in the last two matches, while opener Malan has been their best batter in a forgettable World Cup.

Their only batter with 300-plus runs, Malan has been consistently giving them starts.

He has all the shots in his armoury to excel at the Eden Gardens which has behaved differently this time.

England will hope that the likes of Joe Root, Harry Brook and skipper Jos Buttler also get some runs and end their disastrous World Cup campaign on a high.

Another bright spot for England in their big win was the way Chris Woakes shone with both bat and ball.

He complimented Stokes with a quick fifty and then gave England the perfect start en route to finishing with tidy figures of 1/19 in seven overs.

In Woakes and David Willey, England has the pacers up-front to make a mark, and it would be an intriguing battle against Pakistan’s in-form Fakhar and Babar, who are due for a big knock.

On spin-friendly conditions, England will also rely on Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, who will look to strangulate Pakistan’s progress in the middle overs.

England has been a white-ball champion side and it is simply beyond logic why it failed to recreate the magic in this World Cup.

England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Wasim.

Match starts at 2 PM

Right time to move on to something new: Australian captain Lanning retires from int’l cricket

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SYDNEY: Record-breaking Australian women’s captain Meg Lanning said she had “nothing left to achieve” after retiring on Thursday from international cricket.

The 31-year-old top-order batter led Australia to four Twenty20 World Cup titles, one 50-over World Cup triumph and a Commonwealth Games gold — earning the nickname “Megastar” for her run-scoring exploits.

Off the pitch, Lanning played a crucial role in highlighting the gender pay gap in men’s and women’s professional cricket.

After 13 years of international cricket and having captained her country on 182 occasions, Lanning said it was the “right time to move on to something new”.

“I’ve achieved so much within the game and been lucky enough to have such a successful career and be part of very successful teams,” a tearful Lanning told reporters at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“I guess I feel like now I’ve got nothing left to achieve on the international stage.

“I can’t be half-in or half-out with anything and I guess that’s where I’ve landed with this decision.

“I no longer have the spark or the motivation to do what needs to happen at this level and so for me it is time to move on.”

An emotional Lanning broke down in tears when she thanked her parents and family for their support down the years.

Veteran wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy has previously captained the Australian team in Lanning’s absence, but was recently sidelined after injuring her finger breaking up a dog fight.

Cricket Australia is yet to name Lanning’s long-term successor.

Chief executive Nick Hockley praised Lanning as “one of the finest cricketers Australia has produced” and “one of the best players in the world over a long period of time”.

“Under Meg’s leadership the Australian women’s cricket team has built a legacy of global dominance and has been at the forefront of growing the game and inspiring the next generation of cricketers all around the world,” he added.

Lanning has hit more one-day centuries than any other woman and is the top run-scorer for the Australian women’s team, according to Cricket Australia.

Australia won 26 consecutive one-day games under Lanning’s captaincy between 2018 and 2021, which remains that format’s record winning streak.

Lanning returned to the Australian team in January after a six-month break to “focus on myself”.

On her return, she led Australia to victory at the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa and took Delhi Capitals to the final of the inaugural Women’s Premier League in India.

Lanning will continue to play in domestic competitions, Cricket Australia said.

Tens of thousands flee the north in record numbers as Israel-Hamas fighting heats up in Gaza City

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Calls for a ceasefire to protect civilians have built over a month into the war sparked when Hamas attacked Israel and, according to Israeli officials, killed about 1,400 people, mainly civilians, and seized 239 hostages.

Aiming to destroy Hamas, Israel retaliated with a relentless bombardment and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip that, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, has killed more than 10,500 people, many of them children.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again rejected the prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza, amid reports of negotiations for a temporary truce with Hamas to allow in humanitarian aid.

The Israeli army said 50,000 people left north Gaza for the south of the narrow coastal strip on Wednesday as the fighting raged between Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, and Israeli troops.

“We saw today how 50,000 Gazans moved from northern Gaza to southern Gaza,” said military spokesman Daniel Hagari. “They’re leaving because they understand that Hamas lost control in the north, and in the south it’s safer.”

Around 15,000 people had fled on Tuesday, compared with 5,000 on Monday and 2,000 on Sunday, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

UN rights chief Volker Turk condemned Israel over the forced evacuations during a visit to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the only way out of the besieged territory that is not controlled by Israel.

“The collective punishment by Israel of Palestinian civilians amounts also to a war crime, as does the unlawful forcible evacuation of civilians,” he told a news conference.

“The aid getting through is a trickle,” Turk said, adding it was Israel’s obligation to “ensure a maximum of basic necessities of life that can reach all who need it.That evacuations of wounded Palestinians and dual nationals were interrupted Wednesday despite a large crowd waiting at the crossing terminal, blaming what they said was Israel’s refusal to approve the list of wounded to be taken across the border.

A source close to Hamas had said talks were underway for the release of a dozen hostages held by the Islamists, including six Americans, in return for a three-day ceasefire in Gaza.

Earlier a separate source briefed on the talks said Qatar was mediating negotiations in coordination with the US to free “10-15 hostages in exchange for a one- to two-day ceasefire”.

As the talks proceeded, the pace of Palestinian civilians fleeing south from northern Gaza accelerated in the face of Israel’s intensifying air and ground campaign, according to UN observers.

“We’ve lost our homes, we’ve lost our children. Where is the global community? Where are our fellow Muslims? Look at us!” said Nouh Hammouda, who was among those fleeing.

“We left our homes due to the relentless bombardment. Where can we go now?” he said as people streamed southward on the road.

Israel has set an aim of destroying Hamas and said its ground forces were advancing in pursuit of the militants who have a deep network of tunnels and underground bases.

“(Israeli troops) are tightening the stranglehold around the city of Gaza,” Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said.

Israel has air-dropped leaflets and sent texts ordering civilians in northern Gaza to flee south, but potentially hundreds of thousands remained in the worst-hit areas.

Images taken by an AFP journalist embedded with Israeli troops showed them emerging from tanks to comb the shells of Gaza residential buildings destroyed in the fighting.

Hamas accused the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) of “colluding” with Israel in the “forced displacement” of Gazans, after residents followed instructions to flee.

G7 foreign ministers said they supported “humanitarian pauses and corridors” in the Israel-Hamas war, but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.

As fighting intensifies in Gaza, families of people taken hostage by Hamas have been pushing on various fronts for help to bring their loved ones home.

“Every day is like eternity to me and I can’t wait any longer,” Doris Liber, whose 26-year-old son Guy Iluz was shot and taken hostage at a music festival, told reporters in Washington.

Military analysts warned of weeks of gruelling house-to-house fighting ahead in Gaza.

The operation is hugely complicated for Israel because of the hostages, including very young children and frail elderly people, who are believed to be held inside a vast tunnel network.

The Israeli army said it had uncovered around 130 tunnel entrances in Gaza. It also reported the deaths of two more soldiers, bringing to 33 the total number killed in the offensive.

Hamas released video footage of fierce street battles between its armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, and Israeli forces in the northern and southern axis of Gaza City.

In densely packed Gaza — where more than 1.5 million people have fled their homes in a desperate search for safety — the suffering is immense.

Hamas said several cemeteries in Gaza had “no more space for burials”, while the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said most of the territory’s sewage pumping stations were shut.

A rare delivery of emergency medical supplies and medicines on Wednesday reached Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, the UN and World Health Organization said.

But they highlighted the delivery of life-saving supplies was only the second to reach the hospital since the war erupted and was “far from sufficient to respond to the immense needs”.

Tom Potokar, chief surgeon at the International Committee of the Red Cross who entered Gaza on October 27, described the scene at the European hospital in Khan Yunis as “relentless” and “catastrophic”.

“In the last 24 hours, I’ve seen three patients with maggots in their wounds,” including a six-year-old child, he said in a telephone interview.

Israel accuses Hamas of building military tunnels underneath hospitals, schools and mosques — charges the militant group denies.

Israel has hammered Gaza with more than 12,000 air and artillery strikes and sent in ground forces that have effectively cut it in half.

An independent UN expert branded Israel’s systematic bombardment of housing and civilian infrastructure in Gaza as well as Hamas’s rocket attacks that hit Israeli dwellings as war crimes.

The Israeli government said Wednesday it was “premature” to predict scenarios for Gaza after it ousts Hamas, but that it was already discussing the prospect with other countries.

Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and two years later imposed a crippling air, sea and land blockade, as Hamas took control of the Palestinian territory.

“We’re exploring several contingencies together with our international partners for what the ‘day after’ will look like,” said government spokesman Eylon Levy.

But the “common denominator” is that Gaza will be “demilitarised” and “must never again” become a “terror nest”, he said.

Netanyahu had said earlier this week that Israel would assume “overall security” of Gaza.

Violence is also increasing in the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, where more than 150 Palestinians have been killed by fire from Israeli soldiers or settlers since October 7, according to the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli air strikes on Wednesday killed three pro-Iran fighters as they hit sites belonging to the powerful Lebanese Hezbollah group near the Syrian capital Damascus, a war monitor said.

Israel has struck Syria several times in the past month as regional tensions simmer.

US launches airstrike on site in Syria in response to attacks by Iranian-backed militias

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WASHINGTON: The U.S. carried out an airstrike on a weapons warehouse in eastern Syria used by Iranian-backed militias, in retaliation for what has been a growing number of attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in the region for the past several weeks, the Pentagon said.

In Wednesday’s strike, two U.S. F-15 fighter jets dropped multiple bombs on a weapons storage facility near Maysulun in Deir el-Zour that was known to be used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, U.S. officials said.

“The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

A military official told reporters in a call that people were seen at the warehouse during the day as the U.S. military watched the site for hours, but the number decreased to about “a couple” overnight when the strike occurred. The official said the strike triggered secondary explosions, indicating the presences of weapons, but the U.S. believes that no civilians were killed and any people at the warehouse were tied to the Revolutionary Guard or militia groups.

The strike, said a senior defense official also on the call, was aimed at “disrupting and degrading the capabilities of groups directly responsible for attacking U.S. forces in the region” by specifically targeting facilities associated with the Revolutionary Guard. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide an assessment of the strike.

The precision strike, said the defense official, was deliberate and designed not to escalate the conflict in the region. The military official said a deconfliction phone line linking U.S. military personnel to Russian forces in Syria was used to let them know about the attack.

This is the second time in less than two weeks that the U.S. has bombed facilities used by the militant groups, many operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which U.S. officials say have carried out at least 40 such attacks since Oct. 17.

That was the day a powerful explosion rocked a Gaza hospital, killing hundreds and triggering protests in a number of Muslim nations. The Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza in retaliation for the devastating Hamas rampage in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Israel denied responsibility for the al-Ahli hospital blast, and the U.S. has said its intelligence assessment found that Tel Aviv was not to blame. But the Israeli military has continued a ferocious assault on Hamas, with ground troops now deep inside Gaza City in a war that has a staggering death toll of more than 10,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry of the Hamas-run territory.

The latest U.S. strike was designed to take out supplies, weapons and ammunition in an effort to erode the abilities of the Iranian-backed militants to attack Americans based in Iraq and Syria. And it reflects the Biden administration’s determination to maintain a delicate balance. The U.S. wants to hit Iranian-backed groups suspected of targeting the U.S. as strongly as possible to deter future aggression, possibly fueled by Israel’s war against Hamas, while also working to avoid further inflaming the region and provoking a wider conflict.

Similar U.S. airstrikes on Oct. 27 also targeted facilities in Syria, and officials at the time said the two sites were affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. When asked why those locations in Syria were chosen — since many of the attacks have happened in Iraq — officials said the U.S. went after storage sites for munitions that could be linked to the strikes on U.S. personnel.

The U.S. has often avoided bombing sites in Iraq in order to lessen the chances of killing Iraqis or angering Iraq’s leaders.

While officials have said the strikes are meant to deter further attacks, they have not had that effect. Rocket and drone attacks have occurred almost daily, although in nearly all cases they have resulted in little damage and few injuries.

Asked about that, the senior defense official acknowledged that the initial U.S. strike in October did not convince Iran to direct its proxies to stop the attacks. But, the official said, the strikes show America’s willingness to use military force.

According to the Pentagon, a total of 45 personnel have been injured and all of those were in attacks on Oct. 17 and 18. Of those, 32 were at al-Tanf garrison in southeastern Syria, with a mix of minor injuries and traumatic brain injuries, and 13 were at al-Asad air base in western Iraq, with four cases of traumatic brain injury and nine of minor injury. One person was injured at Irbil air base in Iraq.

The Pentagon has faced repeated questions about whether deterrence against Iran and its proxies is working because the attacks have only increased.

At the same time, the department has moved a number of air defense systems and other forces into the region to beef up protection for U.S. forces. And on multiple occasions, the systems have intercepted incoming strikes. According to a U.S. official, the number of ships in the Middle East has more than doubled, the number of Patriot air defense missile systems has about tripled, a few more fighter jet squadrons have been added and hundreds of additional troops have been deployed to the region. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss force numbers not yet made public.

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