The Israeli military ordered more evacuations in southern Gaza early Sunday after a deadly air strike on a school-turned-shelter in the north on Saturday killed at least 90 Palestinians, according to the territory’s civil defence agency. Israel said the strike targeted a militant command post and killed at least 19 fighters. Read our blog to see how the day’s events unfolded. Source link
The day after US President Joe Biden announced his resignation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Monday to deliver an important address at a time of “great political uncertainty”, as the military ordered new evacuations in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis. The visit comes amid heightened tensions between the US and its long-standing ally, with fears of the Gaza war once again fuelling regional violence as Israel on Saturday attacked Yemen for the first time, in retaliation for a deadly drone strike on Tel Aviv by the Huthi rebels. Source link
Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories Israel is observing its Holocaust Remembrance Day today, nearly seven months into the war in Gaza and after another round of cease-fire talks fell apart. The Israeli military began dropping leaflets ordering tens of thousands of Palestinians taking refuge in Rafah to evacuate, a move indicating its ground offensive in the area of Southern Gaza could be imminent. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel on Oct. 28, 2023. Abir Sultan/AP hide caption toggle caption Abir Sultan/AP Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel on Oct. 28, 2023. Abir Sultan/AP NPR’s Lauren Frayer tells Up First that the impasse between Hamas and Israel on a cease-fire seems to be whether it will be temporary or permanent and …
Israel’s military said Monday that people in eastern parts of Rafah should go to what the military called an expanded humanitarian area that now includes Khan Younis, in a move that comes ahead of a planned Israeli offensive in Rafah. An IDF spokesperson, posting on social media in Arabic, said the Israeli military will act forcefully against terrorist organizations in Rafah, and that anyone who is in the area will be putting their lives at risk. Israel has previously issued such warnings amid its campaign to eliminate the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip. Many of the Palestinians in Rafah traveled there seeking shelter after Israel warned them to flee other parts of Gaza. Maps provided by the Israeli military previously showed a humanitarian zone along the Gaza coast west of Khan Younis. Monday’s announcement expanded that area both to the north along the coast, as well as east to include Khan Younis. Israel has said an offensive in Rafah is necessary to defeat Hamas, while the United States, United Nations and others have …
Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of Texas, and residents in Harris County, home to Houston, were told to be ready to stay put for days after heavy rain caused flooding. Harris County Judge Linda Hidalgo, the top executive of the county government, issued a disaster declaration Thursday. Mandatory evacuations were ordered along the East Fork of the San Jacinto River, and residents were urged to leave before nightfall. “What we’re going to see tonight and into the weekend will not be Hurricane Harvey, but we are going to see significant impacts,” Hidalgo said in a statement. High water flows into Vernons Kuntry Katfish off FM 105 on Thursday in Conroe, Texas.Kirk Sides / Houston Chronicle via Getty Images “At this time, folks in the impacted area should either prepare to stay where they are for the next 2-3 days or leave,” she said. The American Red Cross of the Texas Gulf Coast opened shelters, and the National Weather Service warned drivers to beware, especially at night. A section of the highway U.S. 59 in …
State media in China say heavy rainfall in the southern part of the country has forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate, destroying homes and causing multiple fatalities. China’s Xinhua News Agency says at least four people have died and 10 are missing, adding that the storms hitting the area, once dubbed the factory of the world,” could lead to flooding that hasn’t been seen in a century. As of Monday, Guangdong province’s capital, Guangzhou, received more monthly rainfall in April — about 24 inches — than since record-keeping began in 1959. So far, the storm has caused 36 houses to collapse and has damaged 48 others in the province. State media say the storm has caused direct economic losses of 140.6 million yuan, roughly $19.4 million. Many rivers in the region remain swollen on Monday, at levels exceeding safety thresholds and posing severe flood risks. Guangdong province, which is prone to flooding in May and June, saw an earlier start to the season with the recent storms. Rainfall is expected to continue through …
Kurgan and Tyumen regions of Russia, and parts of Kazakhstan, are threatened by some of the worst flooding in history. Authorities in Russia are warning people to evacuate affected areas as Russia’s Kurgan and Tyumen regions and swaths of northern Kazakhstan are flooded. Tens of thousands have already abandoned their homes. Flooding is expected to peak on Monday in Kurgan, a region of 800,000 people at the confluence of the Ural Mountains and Siberia, as the Tobol River swelled with meltwater and burst its banks, rising to 6.31 metres (20.7 feet) in the main city. Russia and neighbouring Kazakhstan have been grappling with some of the worst flooding in living memory after very large snowfalls melted swiftly amid heavy rain over land which was already waterlogged before winter. Kurgan Governor Vadim Shumkov said there was almost a “sea” of water approaching the area and fresh rainfall was making the situation worse. “The city of Kurgan itself will be next,” Shumkov said. “The flow of the Tobol is accelerating. The water level in it is constantly …
Here’s the latest for Thursday March 21st: Mideast negotiators to meet in Egypt; Biden tries new line of attack on Trump; Americans evacuated from Haiti; Idaho authorities search for escaped inmate. Source link
The nearby Blue Lagoon luxury geothermal spa immediately shut its doors, as it did during previous eruptions. “We have evacuated and temporarily closed all our operational units,” the operator said on its website. “We will remain closed through Sunday, March 17. Further updates and information will be provided here as they become available,” it added. Iceland has more than 30 active volcanoes, making the north European island a prime destination for volcano tourism – a niche segment that attracts thousands of thrill seekers. The site of the eruption was between Hagafell and Stora-Skogfell, the same area as the previous outbreak on February 8, the Met Office said. In 2010, ash clouds from eruptions at the Eyafjallajokull volcano in the south of Iceland spread over large parts of Europe, grounding about 100,000 flights and forcing hundreds of Icelanders to evacuate their homes. Source link
There have been no medical evacuations from northern Gaza for more than a month so severely injured people are trapped in damaged hospitals where they cannot get adequate treatment, a leading medical charity has warned. Ambulances need urgent access to take the most vulnerable patients for specialist care, said Patrick Münz, head of mission in Gaza for German medical charity Cadus. There are no intensive care units operating in northern Gaza, so Palestinians most seriously injured in Israeli airstrikes and fighting on the ground have died. But dozens of patients in the two functioning hospitals in Gaza City have been stabilised after amputations or with severe burns, and could survive if they got treatment in Rafah or beyond Gaza. Cadus is working with the World Health Organization trying to get ambulances into the north for evacuations, travelling with UN aid convoys bringing food or medical supplies. “The people we will transport at least at the beginning are critical care patients, but who are stable,” said Münz, adding that there had been no transports for over …
