Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Israel of causing the deaths of thousands of Palestinians by systematically restricting and targeting Gaza’s water supply in a campaign that amounts to “acts of genocide.”
The New York-based rights group is the latest among a growing number of critics to accuse Israel of genocidal acts in its war in Gaza. Israel vehemently denies the allegations, saying its war is directed at Hamas militants, not Gaza’s civilians.
Israeli airstrikes slammed into two schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on Thursday, killing at least 17 people including five children, health officials said. Rescue workers said 30 people were also wounded. Israel said Hamas operated command centers inside the shelters, without providing evidence.
Elsewhere in the region, Israel launched heavy airstrikes in Yemen on ports, oil and energy infrastructure in rebel-controlled areas, killing nine people, shortly after a Houthi rebel missile badly damaged a school building in Israel.
More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in 14 months of war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said more than half of the fatalities are women and children. The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’ October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people.
Here’s the latest:
DAMASCUS — Hundreds of Syrian protesters gathered Thursday at Umayyad Square in Damascus for the first time since the fall of Bashar Assad’s government and the country’s sudden takeover by jihadi-led rebels.
Protesters from secular parties and groups called for their broad participation in the incoming government to help build a modern Syria free from sectarian and religious divisions. Others advocated for a national dialogue aimed at creating an inclusive future for all Syrians.
“We are here today to demand a civil state that respects all individuals, regardless of their sect or religious beliefs,” said Tasleem Hamsho, a teacher participating in the protest. Some held up banners in Arabic that read, “Democracy, not Theocracy.”
So far, Syria’s transition has been surprisingly smooth, but it less than two weeks have passed since Assad was ousted. The country is home to diverse sects, and there is growing fear and uncertainty among minority groups, including Christians, regarding their rights and safety under the main rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, once an affiliate of al-Qaida.
“Our ultimate goal is for Syria to be a state for all,” film director Rami Nidal said.
NEW YORK — The medical aid group Doctors Without Borders released a report Thursday accusing Israel of systematically attacking Gaza’s health care system and restricting essential humanitarian assistance.
The group, which has worked in Gaza for more than 20 years, said its staff has been subjected to more than 40 attacks since the start of the war, including airstrikes, shelling and military incursions at health facilities. As of October, it said 19 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were shut down and continual fighting prevented many residents from reaching those still functioning.
“Attacks on civilians, the dismantling of the healthcare system, the deprivation of food, water and supplies are a form of collective punishment inflicted by the Israeli authorities on the people of Gaza,” the report said. “This must stop now.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the report “entirely false and misleading.” It said Israel does not target innocent health workers and tries to ensure delivery of aid, and charged the medical group with failing to acknowledge Hamas’ use of hospitals as bases “for terrorist activities and operations.”
Some of the allegations leveled Thursday were echoed in a report by Human Rights Watch, which accused Israel of a campaign in Gaza that amounted to “acts of genocide,” cutting the flow of water and electricity, destroying infrastructure and preventing the distribution of critical supplies.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes hit two schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on Thursday, killing at least 17 people, including five children, health officials said.
Associate Press video showed a donkey cart carrying the headless body of a man from the scene after the strikes on the Shaaban al-Rais and Al-Karama schools in the city’s in Daraj Tuffah district. At the Ahli Baptist Hospitals where casualties were taken, a dead child was wrapped in a white shroud and another lay next to him, his face covered.
Hospital and Health Ministry officials confirmed a toll of 17 dead. Gaza’s Civil Defense said at least 30 people were wounded.
The Israeli army acknowledged in a statement that it struck the two schools, saying Hamas operated command centers inside them, without providing evidence. It said it took steps to mitigate the risk of civilian harm.
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