A one-year-old boy killed by an Israeli strike near a medical centre in Gaza had uttered his first words to his mother just hours earlier.
At least 15 Palestinians, including nine children, were killed while queuing for nutritional supplements outside a clinic in Deir Al Balah, the UN children's agency said. Among the victims was Mohammed, one, who had earlier spoken his first words to his mother, Donia. She critically injured in the strike and now lies in a hospital bed “clutching Mohammed’s tiny shoe”, Unicef said.
“The killing of families trying to access life-saving aid is unconscionable,” Unicef executive director Catherine Russell said in a statement after the attack on Thursday. “No parent should have to face such tragedy.”
The Israeli strike occurred as patients gathered to receive treatment for malnutrition, infections and chronic illnesses from a medical centre operated by a Unicef partner organisation, Project Hope.
The clinic is a “place of refuge in Gaza where people bring their small children, women access pregnancy and post-partum care, people receive treatment for malnutrition, and more, Project Hope president Rabih Torbay said in a statement.
“Yet, this morning, innocent families were mercilessly attacked as they stood in line waiting for the doors to open. Horrified and heart-broken cannot properly communicate how we feel any more."
The Israeli military said the incident was under review, claiming the target of the attack was a Hamas militant who took part in the attacks on October 7, 2023.
At least 66 people were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza on Thursday, the enclave's civil defence agency said.
The killing of families trying to access life-saving aid is unconscionable
Unicef executive director Catherine Russell
Three were killed by Israeli gunfire while waiting for aid in north-western Gaza city, adding to the high death toll from attacks near aid sites since the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating in late may.
At least 798 people have been killed while trying to receive food aid in the enclave since May 27, with 615 killed near GHF sites, the UN Human Rights Office said on Friday.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has condemned the aid delivery system as a “death sentence”, saying people were being killed while "simply trying to feed themselves and their families”.
Journalist Ahmad Abu Aisha was killed in a strike west of Nuseirat in central Gaza on Thursday, medical sources said. At least five people were killed in a strike on tents sheltering displaced families in Al Qarara village, the Wafa news agency reported.
On Friday morning, Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least six people in the north of the enclave, including five at a school being used as a shelter.
The latest strikes come amid negotiations for a truce between Israel and Hamas in Qatar. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was hopeful a ceasefire would be agreed to in the “near future”.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
UAE%20FIXTURES
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
