Premature babies from Al Shifa evacuated to Egypt as Israeli tanks encircle Indonesian Hospital in Gaza - CNA

12 DEAD IN INDONESIAN HOSPITAL RINGED BY ISRAELI TANKS

At the Indonesian Hospital, funded by Jakarta, Gaza's health ministry said at least 12 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by firing into the complex encircled by Israeli tanks.

200 patients were evacuated from the hospital in Jabaliya with the help of the Red Cross and taken by bus to Nasser hospital in the southern town of Khan Yunis.

"The Israeli army is laying siege to the Indonesian Hospital," Health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP.

"We fear the same thing will happen there as it did in Al-Shifa," he added.

The evacuation of the 140-bed hospital, which is close to the Jabaliya refugee camp, was carried out in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), he said, in a condition laid down by doctors after Israel struck an ambulance in northern Gaza, claiming it was being used by Hamas militants.

"There are still 400 patients in the hospital and we are working with the ICRC to evacuate," he said, indicating that "around 2,000 displaced persons" were in and around the hospital.

Health officials said 700 patients along with staff were under Israeli fire.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said the facility in the northeast Gaza town of Beit Lahia had been hit by artillery rounds. Hospital staff denied there were any armed militants on the premises.

WHO chief Tedros said he was "appalled" by the attack that he too said had killed 12 people, including patients, citing unspecified reports.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said troops had fired back at fighters in the hospital while taking "numerous measures to minimise harm" to non-combatants.

"Overnight, terrorists opened fire from within the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza toward IDF troops operating outside the hospital," the IDF told Reuters. "In response, IDF troops directly targeted the specific source of enemy fire. No shells were fired toward the hospital."

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking to reporters during a trip to Ukraine, reaffirmed the position of the United States, Israel's strongest ally, on the need to get humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians.

"We have said every step of the way that our expectation is Israelis conduct their operations in accordance with the law of armed conflict," Austin said. "They must do everything, or should do everything, that they can to get humanitarian assistance in to the people in Gaza."

The UN said that 69,000L of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt on Sunday after Israel confirmed it would start allowing the daily delivery of about 70,000L, "which is well below the minimum requirements for essential humanitarian operations".

Like all other health facilities in the northern half of Gaza, the Indonesian Hospital has largely ceased operations but is still sheltering patients, staff and displaced residents.

Israel has ordered the evacuation of the north, but thousands of civilians remain. Food, fuel, medicines and water have been running out across the enclave under Israel's six-week-old siege.

Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said its clinic in Gaza City also came under fire on Monday.

In the south, where hundreds of thousands of Gazans who fled the north of the enclave are sheltering, at least 14 Palestinians were killed in two Israeli strikes on houses in Rafah, according to Gaza health authorities.

At least five people were killed and 10 wounded when an Israeli air strike hit an apartment unit in Khan Younis, at the southern end of the strip, according to medical sources at Gaza's Nasser Hospital. There was no immediate Israeli comment.

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2023-11-20 18:27:00Z
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Anti-junta forces pause offensive to let aid workers leave Myanmar's Kayah State - CNA

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press briefing in Beijing that China was helping other countries get their people out.

"Recently, some countries have asked China for assistance. From a humanitarian point of view, we have provided convenience for their citizens in northern Myanmar to evacuate through China," Mao said.

"END WAR"

China, which has extensive economic interests in Myanmar, also urged "the relevant parties to put the interests of the people first, cease fire and end war as soon as possible, resolve differences through dialogue and consultation and avoid escalation", Mao said.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted a government led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in the 2021 coup, ending a decade of tentative democratic reform and triggering widespread protests.

In various parts of the country, democracy activists have taken up arms alongside ethnic minority insurgents who have been battling for self-determination for decades.

One of the group that launched the latest offensive, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), reported heavy clashes in Shan State on the weekend and said some of its fighters had been affected when junta forces used "gas bombs containing an internationally banned chemical weapon".

It said its fighters had been given medical treatment but provided no evidence to back up its accusation.

A junta spokesperson confirmed the fighting with the TNLA and dismissed their accusation of poisonous gas.

"They attacked and the military responded. TNLA experienced many losses and as usual, they started the regular accusations of us using toxic gas etc," said the spokesperson, Zaw Min Tun.

The junta has acknowledged it is facing "heavy assaults" from the insurgent groups and ordered all government staff and those with military experience in the capital to prepare to serve in case of emergency.

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2023-11-20 11:23:00Z
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Israel expands Gaza operation as mediator says hostage deal 'close' - CNA

"WINDOW OF LEGITIMACY"

Israel launched its offensive against Hamas after a wave of brutal cross-border raids on October 7 left 1,200 people dead, the majority of them civilians.

The Hamas government says the death toll from Israel's aerial bombardment and ground operations in Gaza has reached 13,000, thousands of them children.

Six weeks into the war, Israel is facing intense international pressure to justify its bloody toll.

Israel officials have warned a "window of legitimacy" for the war to rout Hamas may be closing.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called for urgent action to stop the "humanitarian disaster" unfolding in Gaza.

"The situation in Gaza affects all countries around the world, questioning the human sense of right and wrong and humanity's bottom line," Wang told visiting diplomats from Arab and Muslim-majority nations.

Israel on Sunday presented what it said was evidence Hamas gunmen used Gaza's largest hospital, Al-Shifa, to hide foreign hostages and to mask underground tunnels.

The Israeli military released what was said to be CCTV footage from Oct 7 of two male hostages from Nepal and Thailand being brought into the hospital.

"We have not yet located both of these hostages," army spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters.

One clip showed a man in shorts and a pale blue shirt being dragged into an entrance hall by five men, at least three of whom were armed.

In a second clip, an injured man in underwear is wheeled in on a gurney by armed men as several others wearing blue hospital scrubs look on.

AFP could not immediately verify the footage.

Israel also accused the Palestinian militant group of executing a 19-year-old Israeli soldier Noa Marciano at Al-Shifa and presented images of what it said was a 55m-long underground tunnel under the hospital.

Israel has repeatedly claimed that Al-Shifa doubles as a base for Palestinian militants, a charge Hamas and hospital administrators deny.

The World Health Organization has called the hospital a "death zone".

Over the weekend, hundreds of people fled Al-Shifa hospital on foot as loud explosions were heard around the complex.

Columns of sick and injured were seen leaving with displaced people, doctors and nurses.

At least 15 bodies, some in advanced stages of decomposition, were strewn along the route, an AFP journalist said.

The WHO on Sunday said it evacuated thirty-one premature babies from the facility.

Al-Shifa head of surgery Marwan Abu Sada told AFP that Israeli troops were still in the hospital and it was surrounded by tanks.

"I heard at least two explosions since this morning," he said Sunday.

Other doctors said the troops were going from building to building and detonated explosives on the ground floors and hospital basements searching for Hamas tunnels.

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2023-11-20 06:17:00Z
CBMiXmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvaXNyYWVsLWV4cGFuZHMtZ2F6YS1vcGVyYXRpb24taG9zdGFnZS1kZWFsLWNsb3NlLTM5MzM1MDbSAQA

Singaporean among foreigners evacuated from Myanmar on Thai government flight: MFA - CNA

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean was among the foreigners evacuated from the town of Laukkaing in Myanmar, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Monday (Nov 20).

The group was on a flight organised by the Thai government to evacuate its citizens, said the ministry in response to queries from CNA. 

"MFA had been working closely through our Embassies in Yangon, Bangkok, Beijing, and Consulate-General in Guangzhou, with the relevant authorities to evacuate the Singaporean. 

"The Singapore government would like to express its appreciation to the Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities for facilitating the safe evacuation and departure of the Singaporean from Laukkaing," it added. 

Myanmar's military junta is facing its biggest test since taking power in a 2021 coup after three ethnic minority forces launched a coordinated offensive in late October, capturing some towns and military posts.

The Thai foreign ministry said on Sunday that a group of 266 Thais and an unspecified number of Filipinos and Singaporeans were being evacuated from Laukkaing in northern Shan State to the Myanmar-China border with help from the Myanmar authorities.

The group will be permitted to enter China and will then travel from the Chinese city of Kunming on two chartered flights to Bangkok where they will undergo screening for human trafficking and any criminal records, according to a Reuters report. 

Thai authorities have said that some trapped in Myanmar were victims of human trafficking and some might be involved with telecom fraud gangs.

The evacuation comes after a separate group of 41 Thai nationals were repatriated by land after a coordination between the Thai authorities and Myanmar army.

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2023-11-20 05:13:00Z
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This 34-year-old with blindness, spina bifida and chronic lung disease excels in life and career - Channel NewsAsia

Whenever I sit for a job interview, I worry about three things. First, whether I’ll impress the interviewer with my credentials. Second, whether the interviewer will find me a good fit for the company.  And third, whether the interviewer will be so distracted by how blue my completely blind left eye is that they can’t focus on what I’m saying. 

I was born with bilateral congenital glaucoma, a medical condition where both my eyes were affected by increased pressure that damaged the optic nerve. My left eye is completely blind and my right eye has only 15 per cent vision. 

I also have spina bifida, a birth defect where the spine and spinal cord don’t develop properly. As a result, I have problems with movement and sensation, especially in my lower body. 

Lastly, I was born with a type of chronic lung disease which caused me to have respiratory issues, making it difficult for me to breathe.

To get by, I rely on many tools. I use a digital screen reader to read and write, a cane to move around with and support my back, and lots of different medications and colourful pills to control and regulate my pain and breathing. 

People call them disabilities, and while I don’t disagree or have any problem with the word ‘disability’, I don’t fully resonate with that. I call them my superpowers because they are what make me special. 

GROWING UP WITH THREE ‘SUPERPOWERS’

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2023-11-19 23:06:42Z
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Maldives new president Muizzu asks India to withdraw its military - CNA

MALE: Maldives new President Mohamed Muizzu, who campaigned on altering the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago's "India first" policy, has requested India withdraw its military from the country.

Muizzu won the presidential election in September, ousting Ibrahim Solih in a runoff after promising to remove a small Indian military presence of some 75 personnel.

India and China have been vying for influence in the region, with the coalition backing Muizzu considered to be leaning more towards China.

"The Maldivian people had given him (Muizzu) a strong mandate to make the request to India and expressed the hope that India will honour the democratic will of the people of the Maldives," the president's office said in a statement on Saturday.

India's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At his inauguration on Friday, Muizzu said, "I will ensure that this country has no foreign military presence on its soil."

Muizzu made the request to Kiren Rijiju, India's minister for earth sciences, who was representing India at the president's inauguration, it said.

"It was agreed that the two governments would discuss workable solutions for continued cooperation," a senior Indian government official said on condition of anonymity, without clarifying whether India would return its military.

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2023-11-19 08:44:34Z
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White House, Israel say no Israel-Hamas deal yet, US will 'continue to work hard' - The Straits Times

WASHINGTON – Israel and Hamas have not yet reached a deal on a temporary ceasefire, the White House and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on the night of Nov 18.

The US is continuing to work to get a deal between the two sides, the White House spokesperson said. A second US official confirmed no deal had been reached.

“No deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get a deal,” Ms Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House’s National Security Council, said in a statement.

Mr Netanyahu told a press conference on Nov 18 evening: “Concerning the hostages, there are many unsubstantiated rumours, many incorrect reports. I would like to make it clear: As of now, there has been no deal. But I want to promise: When there is something to say – we will report to you about it.”

The Washington Post, citing people familiar with the deal, reported earlier on Saturday that Israel, the United States and Hamas have reached a tentative agreement to free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting.

The hostage release could begin within the next several days, barring last-minute hitches, according to people familiar with the detailed, six-page agreement, the paper said.

Under the agreement, all parties would freeze combat operations for at least five days while 50 or more hostages are released in groups every 24 hours, the Post reported.

Hamas took about 240 hostages during its Oct 7 rampage inside Israel that killed 1,200 people.

The pause also is intended to allow a significant amount of humanitarian aid in, the newspaper said, adding the outline for the deal was put together during weeks of talks in Qatar.

The report comes as Israel appears to be preparing to expand its offensive against Hamas militants to southern Gaza after air strikes killed dozens of Palestinians, including civilians reported to be sheltering at two schools.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the Oct 7 attack. As the conflict entered its seventh week, authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip raised their death toll to 12,300, including 5,000 children.

After dropping leaflets earlier in the week, Israel on Nov 18 again warned civilians in parts of southern Gaza to relocate as it girds for an onslaught after subduing the north.

Raising international alarm, Israel made Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City a primary focus of its ground advance in northern Gaza.

A team led by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which visited Al Shifa on Nov 18 described it as a “death zone” with signs of gunfire and shelling. WHO said it was developing plans for immediate evacuation of the remaining patients and staff.

There were 25 health workers and 291 patients, including 32 babies in critical condition, remaining in Al Shifa, WHO said.

Elsewhere in the north, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini of UNRWA, the UN aid organisation for Palestinian refugees, said on social media platform X that Israel bombarded two agency schools. More than 4,000 civilians were sheltered at one of them, he said.

“Dozens reported killed including children,” he said. “Second time in less than 24 hours schools are not spared. ENOUGH, these horrors must stop.”

A spokesperson for Gaza’s Hamas authorities said 200 people had been killed or injured at the school. Israel’s military did not comment.

Witnesses reported heavy fighting overnight between Israeli ground forces and Hamas gunmen in north-west Jabalia refugee camp, the largest of all camps in the enclave with nearly 100,000 people.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose government controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Nov 18 said “hundreds of forcibly displaced people were killed” at the two schools in Gaza.

Mr Abbas appealed to US President Joe Biden to intervene to stop the Israeli operation in Gaza.

Palestinian health officials said 31 people were killed in Israeli strikes in the Bureij and Nusseirat refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip, including two Palestinian journalists.

The officials said a woman and her child were killed in a strike overnight in Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip.

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2023-11-19 01:52:11Z
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