News Agency of Nigeria
Germany urges Israel to explain journalist deaths
Foreign

Germany urges Israel to explain journalist deaths

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Explanation

Germany has called on Israel to provide a clear and transparent explanation following the killing of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and four of his colleagues in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City.

The demand came after the Qatar-based broadcaster announced that the journalists were killed when an Israeli airstrike struck a tent used by media workers.

“The killing of media personnel is absolutely inadmissible under international humanitarian law,” a spokesman for the German Foreign Office said on Monday.

“When such a killing occurs, as it has now, the party responsible must clearly and transparently explain why it was deemed necessary.”

The spokesman emphasised that Israel had yet to provide such an explanation.

If the Israeli military claims the strike targeted a specific individual, he added, it must also account for why five people were killed.

The Israeli military had confirmed the death of al-Sharif, alleging he was leading a Hamas “terrorist cell” while posing as a journalist.

The German Foreign Office reiterated that journalists must be protected under international law and that any removal of that protection must be thoroughly justified.

“Israel is now expected, from our perspective, to explain itself in the most transparent and comprehensible manner possible,” the spokesman said.

He also stressed the need for reporters in Gaza to be able to carry out their work “freely and safely.” (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Cecilia Odey/Abiemwense Moru

Sultan of Sokoto urges end to hostilities in Gaza
Foreign

Sultan of Sokoto urges end to hostilities in Gaza

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By Nana Musa

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, has called for the immediate cessation of the ongoing hostilities in Gaza.

 

Abubakar also called for the immediate debt cancellation for low income group countries all over the world.

 

A statement from Istanbul, Turkey by Dr Danladi Bako, Kogunan Sokoto, said the Sultan disclosed this on Tuesday at the one-day World Peace Council (WPC) meeting.

 

The Sultan said that the Gaza conflict has left numerous women and children starving to death with the numbers rising daily, according to the World Health Organisation.

 

He also examined the impact of huge debt burdens on the economies of developing countries, its consequences as well as ramifications.

 

He said that the cancellation of debts would tackle the wealth imbalance , abolish past exploitative policies as well as reduce poverty by equitable redistribution of wealth.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abubakar is the co-President of the Religion for WPC.

 

WPC is an international organisation for the promotion of peace, disarmament, and global security.

 

It is an anti-imperialist, democratic, and non-aligned movement that works with various national and international organizations.

 

The WPC advocates for national independence, social justice, environmental protection, and solidarity with liberation movements.

 

 

The meeting which takes place every five years was last held in Lindau, Germany and had about 60 countries in attendance.

 

It embraces faithful of numerous religions like the Hindu, Bahai, Catholics, Anglicans, Jewish and Muslims as well as Orthodox Coptic church.

 

The Patriarch of the City of Constantinople, Bartholomew 1, called for a global alliance of conscience and restoration of the original value systems embedded in all religions and shared by all humanity.

 

Bartholomew said that this would ensure the much needed peace and social harmony across the globe.

 

The two main sessions featured extensive examination of the debt burden on low income societies.

 

It also featured a session on faith, dignity and artificial intelligence with the attendant concerns of its effect on various cultures and religions.

 

The two sessions witnessed robust contributions from technocrats, religious groups, gender advocates, scholars as well as royalty

 

At the end of the council meeting, a nine-point resolution read by the Secretary General, Dr Francis Kuria, was unanimously adopted.

 

The resolution also called on World leaders to halt the genocide in Gaza immediately.

 

The Council’s next General Assembly meeting is scheduled for Abu Dhabi in 2030.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz

Media figures urge BBC to air Gaza medics’ documentary
Foreign

Media figures urge BBC to air Gaza medics’ documentary

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More than 600 prominent figures from the film, media and cultural industries on Monday criticised the BBC’s bias in reporting.

It, however, urged the British broadcaster to air the delayed Gaza documentary on the plight of medics in Gaza.

The open letter, addressed to BBC Director-General Tim Davie, calls for the release of Gaza Medics under Fire, which documents the experiences of Palestinian health workers operating under Israeli bombardment.

Signatories include Oscar-winning U.S. actor Susan Sarandon, comedian Frankie Boyle, and Lindsey Hilsum, an English television journalist and writer.

According to the letter, 130 anonymous individuals also signed, including more than a dozen BBC staffers.

“We write to you again with deep concern about the censorship of Palestinian voices this time, medics operating in unimaginable conditions in Gaza,” said the letter.

The signatories accused the BBC of demonstrating bias in its reporting on Gaza and expressed concern about the broadcaster’s balance and impartiality.

“It has repeatedly delayed the broadcast of Gaza, Medics under Fire, a documentary made by Oscar-nominated, Emmy and Peabody award-winning filmmakers, including Ben de Pear, Karim Shah and Ramita Navai,” the letter said.

The documentary details attacks on Palestinian health workers and hospitals in Gaza amid ongoing Israeli attacks which have killed nearly 53,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023. (AA/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Halima Sheji

Freed Israeli hostage feared many ways to die in Gaza
Foreign

Freed Israeli hostage feared many ways to die in Gaza

341 total views today

Whether the threat was abusive Hamas guards, hunger, illness or Israeli strikes, there were moments during Tal Shoham’s 505 days of captivity in Gaza.

This was when he didn’t think he would be alive the next morning.

There were many times that I separated from life and tried to accept death, the 40-year-old Israeli, who also holds Austrian citizenship, told The Associated Press.

“There are so many ways to die there.”

Shoham was one of dozens of hostages released from Gaza in February as part of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel that has since been broken.

His wife, two children and three other family members were also kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, and were freed a month later.

Shoham said he had spent half his captivity in apartments and the rest in underground tunnels.

He was sometimes bound, starved, beaten and threatened with death, and initially didn’t know if his family was alive.

After his wife was released, Shoham said that someone identified himself as a member of Hamas called to warn her not to talk about what she’d been through or they’d kill her husband.

So as he recounted his own experience, Shoham said there were details he wouldn’t discuss, fearful of endangering remaining hostages.

With ceasefire talks at a standstill, Israel is vowing to advance deeper into Gaza until Hamas releases the 59 hostages still there, more than half of whom are believed dead.

The resumption of fighting has inflamed debate in Israel over the course of the war and the hostages’ fate.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under mounting domestic pressure for his handling of the hostage crisis.

But he also faces demands from his hard-line allies not to accept any deal that falls short of Hamas’ destruction. (AP/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Cecilia Odey/Mark Longyen

S/Arabia rejects Trump’s U.S. Gaza takeover proposal
Foreign

S/Arabia rejects Trump’s U.S. Gaza takeover proposal

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By Mark Longyen

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia says it has “unequivocally rejected” Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, a Palestine territory.

A statement from the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saudi Arabia was vehemently opposed to the idea, and would rather continue its efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state.

Saudi Arabia stressed that Palestinians would “not move” from their land and it would not normalise ties with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s position on the establishment of a Palestinian state is firm and unwavering.

“His Royal Highness, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, clearly and unequivocally reaffirmed this stance during his speech at the opening of the first session of the ninth term of the Shura Council on Sept. 18, 2024.

“His Royal Highness emphasised that Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that,” the statement said.

It further said that the Crown Prince and Prime Minister also reiterated this firm position during the extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit held in Riyadh on Nov. 11, 2024.

The ministry emphasised the continuation of efforts to establish a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, demanding an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.

The Saudi government also urged more peace-loving countries to recognise the State of Palestine, noting the importance of mobilising the international community to support the Palestinian people’s rights.

According to the ministry, this is in line with the United Nations General Assembly resolutions, recognising Palestine’s eligibility for full UN membership.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also reaffirms its unequivocal rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, land annexation, or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.

“The international community has a duty today to alleviate the severe humanitarian suffering endured by the Palestinian people, who will remain steadfast on their land and will not move from it.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia emphasises that this unwavering position is non-negotiable and not subject to compromises,” the statement further said.

“Achieving lasting and just peace is impossible without the Palestinian people obtaining their legitimate rights in accordance with international resolutions, as has been previously clarified to both the former and current U.S. administrations.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Trump had told reporters at the White House on Tuesday, alongside the visiting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that the U.S. was mulling the takeover of Gaza.

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a good job with it too.

“We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings.

“Palestinians living in Gaza would have to be relocated to create the ‘Riviera of the Middle East,’ as they will be housed in Jordan, Egypt and other countries,” he said.

Most of Gaza’s 2.1 million population has been displaced by the 15-month war between Israel and Hamas.

NAN also reports that Trump’s proposal, which was his first major remarks on his Middle East foreign policy has shattered decades of U.S. thinking on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maureen Atuonwu

Saudi Arabia ramps up humanitarian efforts in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan
General News

Saudi Arabia ramps up humanitarian efforts in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan

603 total views today

 

By Mufutau Ojo

As conflict, economic hardship and displacement continue to impact millions of people in Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan,

Saudi Arabia is intensifying its humanitarian efforts to deliver critical aid.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Saudi Arabia is delivering critical assistance through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief).

 

NAN reports that in Gaza, where humanitarian needs have reached critical levels due to ongoing war, KSrelief has launched one of its most extensive relief campaigns to date.

 

A statement issued by the Saudi Arabian embassy in Abuja said over 54 aid planes and eight ships were dispatched to the three locations.

It stated that the planes and ships were loaded with emergency food, medical supplies, shelter materials and other support items.

 

It added that the specific aid resources were 20 ambulances, 30 electricity generators and 10 water tanks, aimed at

providing immediate relief to those affected by the war in Gaza.

 

The embassy noted that KSrelief had distributed 39,200 ready-to-eat meals to help meet immediate nutritional needs for families facing severe food shortages.

 

It explained that the operation included specialised provision and support for displaced individuals, while offering comprehensive response to the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

 

The embassy statement also said that Saudi Arabia had allocated over 80 million dollars to support long-term aid projects in Gaza, channeled through partnerships with international organisations such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees.

 

Others, it noted, were the World Food Programme, World Health Organisation and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

 

It also listed the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and the International Committee of the Red Cross as partners.

 

The statement added that in Lebanon where an economic collapse had placed immense pressure on innocent civilians, KSrelief had increased its humanitarian outreach to alleviate hardship.

 

It also said that KSrelief’s 20 aid planes arrived in Beirut, carrying essential food, medical and shelter supplies to provide relief to vulnerable communities.

 

The statement said Saudi Arabia’s aid to Lebanon, managed through KSrelief, also included targeted support for medical facilities.

 

It also said that KSrelief had sent 13 planes and 31 relief vessels, loaded with vital resources to Sudan.

 

It indicated that the aid, totalling over 118 million dollars, underscored Saudi Arabia’s dedication to supporting Sudanese families affected by instability.

 

It added that KSrelief had implemented programmes designed to address Sudan’s food security and health infrastructure needs.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

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