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💡SPOTLIGHT
My Gaza diary: The massacre has resumed, nowhere to hide
Three days since the truce ended, the Israeli army announced that it had launched 10,000 airstrikes on Gaza since the beginning of the war. Total war continues, with the invader’s fiercest fight waged against life itself, writes Palestinian rights activist Moustafa Ibrahim in Arabic-language independent digital outlet Daraj.
On the evening of the 57th day of the war, I was facing a situation that no one would envy.
A friend from Jordan called to tell me her brother and his children, who had been displaced from Gaza City to Rafah, were injured by a bombing in the Al-Geneina neighborhood in eastern Rafah, where I now live. She wanted to check on them. As soon as she mentioned her brother's name, I knew that he had been killed. I told her: “I will ask at the hospital, and will let you know.”
At that moment I stopped thinking. What would I say to her? It is not easy to be the one who tells a friend their loved one is dead.
The next day, the friend called back to say she’d found out her brother had been killed, and that his wife and children had been injured but were fine. She asked this time for help to search for her five-year-old nephew, who was missing and had not wound up at the hospital. After hours of searching, they found his body. He died too from the bombing.
Since the end of the temporary ceasefire, the Israeli army has carried out some of its fiercest attacks across Gaza. During the past three days, individual homes have been bombed, with two missiles dropped on each targeted home to be sure it was fully destroyed.
Among the attacks was the Israeli army’s bombing massacre in the Al-Geneina neighborhood Sunday, killing 15 Palestinians and some 100 others injured in an olive mill when rubble fell on them.
At dawn, Israeli warplanes bombed a nearby house where I was staying in Al-Geneina, causing a terrifying explosion that shook the neighborhood. The number of casualties was not clear since the house included large numbers of its owners and displaced people as well.
This is what is happening right now in Rafah, which the Israeli army had recently told the world was a humanitarian refuge. Indeed, much of the city of Khan Yunis was forced to flee to Rafah.
Israel had already forced the residents of Gaza City and locations to the north to evacuate under aerial bombardment. They were supposed to flee to the south of Gaza, under the pretext that the Israeli army would carry out a ground operation in Gaza’s north.
And yet, it is now continuously bombing the south of the strip, killing hundreds. [...]
— Read the full Daraj article by Moustafa Ibrahim, translated from Arabic by Worldcrunch.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Israel asks Palestinians to relocate to a safe space as bombing continues: The Israeli military has asked Palestinian residents of Gaza to evacuate to a part of the town of al-Mawasi in the south of Gaza, designating it as a safe space. This comes as Israel has stepped up its bombing of southern Gaza, especially around the city of Khan Younis, which the Israeli military says is sheltering leaders of Hamas.
• Putin visits UAE, Saudi Arabia with Israel-Hamas war on agenda: Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, and host Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow the following day. The talks will focus on bilateral relations and the Israel-Hamas war, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
• European Union scientists says 2023 will be the warmest year on record: European Union scientists said on Wednesday that 2023 would be the warmest year on record, as global mean temperature for the first 11 months of the year hit the highest level on record, 1.46°C (34.63°F) above the 1850-1900 average. The record comes as governments are in negotiations on whether to, for the first time, phase out the use of CO2-emitting coal, oil and gas, the main source of warming emissions, at the COP28 summit in Dubai.
• Zelensky cancels U.S. Senate briefing, G7 countries show support to Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called off a high-profile briefing with U.S. lawmakers amid a disagreement over future U.S. funding. It came after a top Ukrainian official warned they are in danger of losing the war against Russia if more U.S. military aid is not approved. Meanwhile, leaders of the G7 countries will hold a virtual meeting on Wednesday with Zelensky, in a show of support for the country's war against Russia.
• Boris Johnson faces grilling at COVID inquiry: Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his handling of COVID-19 on Wednesday at a public inquiry into the pandemic, saying the government “got some things wrong” but did its best. Johnson began two days of being grilled under oath by lawyers for the judge-led inquiry about his initial reluctance to impose a national lockdown in early 2020 along with other decisions.
• Nepal arrests people smugglers supplying Russia’s army in Ukraine: Nepal has arrested a gang that it accuses of smuggling people to be forced to join the Russian military in Ukraine. The 10 detainees are accused of extorting large sums of money from unemployed youths, with the promise of a travel visa. However, the customers were then coerced into illegal recruitment into the Russian army. Kathmandu has now urged Moscow to halt the use of Nepali mercenaries.
• Blackpink sign new contract ensuring K-pop group will stay together: K-pop group Blackpink have renewed their agency contract as a group, ensuring that the quartet will continue to perform together. This follows months of contract negotiations during which fans feared the group could split up. Blackpink, formed in 2016, have become the world's biggest K-pop girl group.
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
Turin-based daily La Stampa titles “Giulia’s Legacy” featuring a photo of Giulia’s Cecchetin’s family at her funeral, outside Padua’s Basilica of Santa Giustina. The 22-year-old student was stabbed to death Nov. 11, with her ex-boyfriend accused of the murder, sparking a wave of protests in Italy against violence against women. “My daughter did not die in vain”, said Giulia’s father this morning at her service, that gathered more than 10,000 people, rattling keys, symbolizing they would not stay silent in the face of femicide.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
49.4 million
The Wikipedia page about OpenAI’s virtual chat bot ChatGPT was the most viewed page on the free online encyclopedia this year, with 49.4 million page views at the time of writing. “It’s clear that people wanted to better understand the history and the context behind ChatGPT’s technology as they experimented with it,” said the chief communications officer at the Wikimedia Foundation in an interview with CNN. Other most viewed pages include the Deaths in 2023 entry, the 2023 Cricket World Cup, the Indian Premier League and the movie Oppenheimer. In 2023, the online encyclopedia site totaled 84 billion page views.
📰 STORY OF THE DAY
Seven wacky (and boozy) races around the world
Alcohol, food, costumes and ... wife carrying? Around the world, people have imbued weirdness and fun into the very serious sporting events that are marathons and races. Follow us in exploring the silliest ones out there.
🍷 The Cape Wine Marathon is an annual event which celebrates the rich wine culture and picturesque landscapes of South Africa's Cape Winelands. Participants run through vineyard-covered hills and historic towns, surrounded by a mountainous backdrop. The trail includes 12 historic vineyards which provide runners with wine tastings (and lots of water) as they pass by, along with gourmet food. Runners can choose between the half-marathon, or 5- and 10-kilometer participation options.
🦖 For America's Dino Dash, participants get together and don dinosaur outfits, most often inflatable T-Rex suits, before racing. The racing began in 2017 as a pest control company's team building activity, but it gained significant attention when videos of T-Rex runners participating in various events and viral challenges started appearing on social media. These videos quickly went viral and inspired similar events in other countries, including Japan.
💪 Bhaaryaasametham running is a unique tradition originating from the Indian state of Kerala. The term Bhaaryaasametham translates to "with the spouse" in Malayalam, the language of Kerala. In this endearing practice, married couples participate in running events together, symbolizing their commitment to journeying through life side-by-side. But the real race does not happen side-by-side. Instead, husbands carry their wives on their shoulders as they sprint to the finish line.
➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com
📣 VERBATIM
“Look, he is running, and I have to run.”
— U.S. President Joe Biden spoke on Tuesday about the coming 2024 elections, saying “If Trump wasn't running, I'm not sure I'd be running”. Biden, who turned 81 last month, is already the oldest man to have occupied the Oval Office. His bid for re-election will largely be built around the idea that he is best positioned to defeat former President Donald Trump: “We cannot let him win,” he stated at a fundraising event outside of Boston.
📸 PHOTO DU JOUR
Extinction Rebellion climate activists protest in Melbourne, Australia, to denounce the ineffectiveness of ongoing COP28 talks when it comes to reducing global emissions. — Photo: Sydney Low/ZUMA
👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH
• What Are Iran's Real Intentions? Watch What The Houthis Do Next — FRANCE INTER
• Finally Time For Negotiations? Russia And Ukraine Have The Exact Same Answer — VAZHNYYE ISTORII/IMPORTANT STORIES
• What To Do With The Complainers In Your Life — Advice From A South American Shrink — CLARÍN
✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright, Valeria Berghinz, Cory Agathe and Anne-Sophie Goninet
Let us know what’s happening in your corner of the world!
- Europeans Are The World's Heaviest Drinkers — Is Gen Z Finally ... ›
- Finally Time For Negotiations? Russia And Ukraine Have The Exact Same Answer ›
- What Are Iran's Real Intentions? Watch What The Houthis Do Next ›