Educationist, social reformer Dr Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, 86, passes away

A new report released by the UN Human Rights Office says Israel’s indiscriminate attacks on hospitals in Gaza have had a catastrophic effect on the territory’s healthcare system.

Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Tuesday the regime has used heavy bombs to attack civilians taking shelter in hospitals.

Laurence added that the UN office has also verified the precision targeting of people inside hospitals, including healthcare workers.

He stressed that deliberate attacks on places where the sick and wounded are treated is a war crime.

“And beyond the conflict itself, civilians were seriously impacted. Women, especially pregnant women, have suffered gravely,” he said.

“Our Office received reports that newborns had died because their mothers were unable to attend postnatal check-ups or reach medical facilities to give birth,” he added.

“Intentionally directing attacks against hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are treated, provided they are not military objectives, is a war crime,” he said.

“Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities is a war crime. And intentionally launching disproportionate attacks is also war crime,” he stated.

Laurence said the Israeli regime’s pattern of deadly attacks on Gaza hospitals has pushed the healthcare system to the brink of total collapse.

His remarks came after UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, said earlier that Gaza's hospitals have become a death trap.

He urged independent and credible investigations into hospital-related incidents in Gaza.

Gaza’s population has been reduced by 6 percent since the beginning of the Israeli regime’s campaign of genocide in the besieged Palestinian territory in 2023, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said.

According to the bureau’s report published on Tuesday, the Israeli offensive has left 45,541 Palestinians dead, 11,000 missing and believed to be under the rubble. At least 100,000 have also been forced to flee, the report said.

The report reveals that “90% of children aged 6 to 23 months and pregnant women” face severe nutritional deficiencies in Gaza.

The report also indicates the Israeli forces deliberately “target specific groups of the population, such as children and youth,” which leads to a significant “distortion … of the population.”

According to the bureau, this will greatly reduce the birth rate, and negatively affect the age and gender structure of the population during the years to come.

American and British aircraft have conducted new airstrikes on the Yemeni capital, prompting Ansarullah to pledge a response.

The strikes on Friday focused on the Ma’een District in Sanaa, with no casualties reported.

"I heard the blast. My house shook," one Sanaa resident told AFP late Friday.

Israeli media promptly denied any involvement of the regime in these operations.

Nasr al-Din Amer, an official from the Ansarullah movement, emphasized that Yemen’s attacks against Israel will intensify and not decline.

Amer asserted that halting the aggression in Gaza is the only way to prevent further anti-Israel operations by the Yemeni army.

Israeli "aggression will only increase the determination and resolve of the great Yemeni people to continue supporting the Palestinian people", a Houthi statement said Friday.

This latest assault followed Thursday's Israeli aggression on Yemen’s infrastructure, including Sana’a's international airport which left six people dead.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Sana’a Friday to protest against the Israeli strikes and express solidarity with Palestinians.

"The equation has changed and has become: (targeting) airport for airport, port for port, and infrastructure for infrastructure," protester Mohammed al-Gobisi said.

"We will not get tired or bored of supporting our brothers in Gaza."

On Friday, the demonstrators staged rallies in the capital Sana’a, and the provinces of Sa’ada, Hudaydah, Hajjah, and al-Mahwit under the slogan “We firmly stand with Gaza, the glory…without limits and without red lines,” carrying the Yemeni and Palestinian flags.

Similar rallies also took place in the provinces of Raymah, ʽAmran, Dhale, Lahij, Ma’rib, al-Bayda, Ta’izz, Ibb, and Dhamar.

The protesters voiced their solidarity with the Palestinians in defiance of the Israeli strikes on Yemen, chanting “We will continue to bomb you…escalation for escalation.”

They hailed the latest Yemeni attacks conducted earlier in the day against Israeli targets, calling on the armed forces to intensify their retaliatory operations.

Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least 45,436 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 108,038 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

Udupi: In a shocking case of investment fraud, a 72-year-old man from Udupi, Karnataka, lost Rs 49 lakh after falling prey to a deceptive stock market scheme. The incident highlights the growing menace of online scams targeting unsuspecting individuals.

According to the complaint filed by Francis Castelino, an unknown individual added his son's mobile number to a WhatsApp group titled "Stock Market Navigation." The group shared stock market insights and promised lucrative returns, convincing Castelino’s son to invest. Trusting the information, the son persuaded his father to make substantial investments.

On December 30, 2024, Castelino transferred Rs 17,00,000, his wife contributed Rs 10,50,000, and their son invested Rs 21,50,000 to the bank account provided by the fraudsters. 

However, when Castelino attempted to withdraw the invested money, he and his family were pressured to reinvest further. Realizing that the promised profits and their principal amount were not forthcoming, the family approached the police for help.

A case has been registered at the Udupi CEN Police Station under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and 318(4) BNS. Investigations are underway to track down the culprits and recover the lost funds.