Weekly World News

Mar 11, 2024

West Asia/Middle East:

As Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip continues, conservative estimates place the death toll at over 31,000, while other estimates place the figure at above 38,000. While the primary causes of casualties are airstrikes and sniper fire, a growing number of Gazans are dying of starvation, malnutrition, and untreated health conditions. The Gaza Ministry of Health reported the deaths of 16 children this week due to malnutrition and dehydration. Other similar fatalities likely go unreported due to a collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system. In the North, 300,000 Gazans face famine conditions. In order to address the critical shortage of food supplies, several countries such as the United States, the Netherlands, Jordan, Egypt, France, and the United Arab Emirates have taken to airdropping crates of supplies to areas where aid is scarce. However, this week 5 Gazan children were reportedly killed in an incident in which the parachute on an airdropped supply crate failed to properly deploy. Both the United States and Jordan denied any connection or responsibility for the malfunction. The United States also announced a plan to build a port on Gaza’s Western coast, a task Hamas officials called “a step in the right direction.”

Ceasefire negotiations in the Egyptian capital of Cairo concluded with no result, despite United States President Joe Biden’s expressed hopes of achieving a deal during the week. There was no Israeli delegation present at the mediations, which aimed to reach a 40-day ceasefire for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Caribbean:

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry is stranded outside his own country as gangs effectively take control of the Caribbean nation, threatening civil war if Henry does not resign. A coordinated attack by the gangs began with assaults on Haiti’s largest prison facilities, triggering widespread violence and causing the government to declare a state of national emergency. The violence has exacerbated an existing humanitarian crisis that includes widespread poverty, crime, hunger, and displacement. United States forces are currently evacuating non-essential personnel of the United States embassy in Haiti. On Saturday, United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Kenyan President William Ruto to discuss an international security force that could restore order and counter the influence of the heavily armed gangs.

Sources:

Channel - https://t.me/geopolitics_live