Weekly World News
West Asia/Middle East:
Israel’s assault on the Gaza strip has killed at least 28,064 people, with 67,000 others injured and thousands more buried under the rubble of infrastructure destroyed by Israeli bombing. A large majority of Gaza’s population has been displaced, with thousands crammed into schools and shelters and others in tents or on the streets. Hamas fighters continue their campaign of deadly urban fighting against Israeli forces, publishing footage of close-quarters combat and the destruction of Israeli tanks and vehicles. Israeli forces are preparing for an assault on the border city of Rafah, where 1.4 million Gazans now seek refuge. The United Nations, the European Union, and several Arab nations have warned a Rafah offensive would cause a humanitarian disaster, and Hamas officials stated that such an assault would end current ceasefire negotiations. Meanwhile, Gaza’s population faces an extreme food crisis as the UN reports that 1 in 10 children under the age of five are now acutely malnourished. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reports that Israel is blocking shipments of food aid from reaching Gaza. The UNRWA, an agency critical to the survival of Palestinians in Gaza, faces the suspension of funding from Western nations due to the alleged role of several of its employees in Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel.
A United States drone strike in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad killed the leader of Kataib Hezbollah, a Shiite militant group that conducted attacks on US forces stationed in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria. Iraqi military officials condemned the strike as a “blatant assassination,” as an ongoing debate ensues within Iraq’s leadership regarding the presence of US forces in the country.
An Israeli missile strike on the city of Homs, Syria killed 6 civilians and 2 Hezbollah militants according to the Syrian Arab News Agency. The strike comes amid a series of escalations in the region following increased violence in the conflict in Gaza.
Asia-Pacific:
The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for two bombing attacks in the Pakistani province of Balochistan as the nation prepares for elections. The attacks, which targeted the offices of political parties, killed at least 28 people and injured dozens more. Terrorist attacks have plagued Pakistan in recent years from a variety of armed groups, some of which hide out in neighboring Afghanistan
Europe:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed his Commander-in-Chief, Valery Zaluzhny, following a growing rift between the president and his top military leader. Zaluzhny was replaced by General Oleksandr Syrsky, who led the defense of the city of Bakhmut (also known as Artemovsk), which eventually came under the control of Russian forces. Zaluzhny reportedly clashed with US military leadership on how best to conduct Ukraine’s anticipated 2023 counteroffensive, which failed to achieve sufficient territorial or attritional gains.
Africa:
Protests in the West African nation of Senegal have left 3 people dead amid a rise in unrest over the postponement of the country’s presidential elections. Violent clashes with police in the capital city of Dakar were prompted by the announcement of the delay of elections until December, which the president claims is to assure security at the polls. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) urged a return to the nation’s normal electoral schedule.
Sources:
Website - https://liveuamap.com/
Channel - https://t.me/SputnikInt_unc2
Channel - https://t.me/ukraine_watch
Channel - https://t.me/eyeonpal
Channel - https://t.me/QudsNen
Article - Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Hamas says Rafah assault would end talks
Article - https://apnews.com/article/syria-airstrikes-israel-4dd55102852ead9a324629c5a50192cc
Article - Ukraine’s top general fired for disobeying US – Politico
Article - Three dead in Senegal protests over delayed presidential election | Reuters
