Death toll rises to 29, including six children, as Israel pounds Gaza with air strikes

The death toll from escalating violence in Gaza rose to 29 on Sunday, as well as the killing of a senior commander of a Palestinian armed group, as Israel extended its bombardment of the territory for a second consecutive day.

In a statement today, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (PIJ) confirmed the killing of one of its senior armed commanders in an Israeli air strike on the Gaza Strip.

“Al-Quds Brigades mourns the leader Khaled Mansour, member of the security council and the commander of the southern region (of Gaza Strip) who was martyred as a result of an Israeli air strike yesterday (Saturday),” the group said in the statement.

Al-Quds Brigades is the armed wing of the group.

Meanwhile, the updated count from health authorities in the Hamas-run territory said six children were among those martyred since the start of the “Israeli aggression” on Friday, in addition to 204 people injured.

But Israel said it had “irrefutable” evidence that a stray rocket from militants had been responsible for the death of multiple children in Jabalia, northern Gaza, on Saturday.

It was not immediately clear how many children were martyred in the incident in Jabalia.

Israel's military has warned its aerial and artillery campaign against the Palestinian armed group could last a week, but Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo is talking “around the clock” with both sides to ease the violence.

Israel has said it was necessary to launch a “pre-emptive” operation against the group as it was planning an imminent attack following days of tensions along the border with Gaza.

Civilians meanwhile took refuge in air raid shelters on the Israeli side, with AFP journalists hearing sirens warning of incoming fire in the Tel Aviv area on Saturday evening.

In Rafah, on Gaza's border with Egypt, women and children were trapped under rubble following an Israeli strike, the strip's civil defence unit said.

Daily life in the strip has come to a standstill, while the electricity distributor said the sole power station shut down due to a lack of fuel after Israel closed its border crossings.

Gaza's health ministry said the next few hours will be “crucial and difficult”, warning it risked suspending vital services within 72 hours as a result of the lack of electricity.

The UN humanitarian chief for the occupied Palestinian territories, Lynn Hastings, urged the warring sides to allow “fuel, food, and medical supplies” to be delivered to Gaza amid the worsening crisis.

On Friday, the health ministry reported “a five-year-old girl” was among those killed by Israeli fire.

The girl, Alaa Kaddum, had a pink bow in her hair and a wound on her forehead, as her body was carried by her father at her funeral.

The Gaza strikes follow the arrest in the occupied West Bank of two senior members of Palestinian armed group, including Bassem al-Saadi, whom Israel accuses of orchestrating recent attacks.

Israel has conducted a wave of often deadly raids in the West Bank since mid-March in response to alleged lethal attacks on Israelis.

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Imran trying to divert attention from his theft with PTI 'power show: Interior Minister

Lashing out at the PTI, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Sunday claimed that Imran Khan will suffer defeat during the upcoming by-elections in all the nine National Assembly constituencies that fell vacant after the NA speaker accepted the resignations of the concerned PTI MNAs.

Terming PTI’s back-to-back public gatherings across the country “political stunts”, Rana Sanaullah said that Imran Khan was trying to divert attention from his theft.

It is pertinent to mention here that the PTI is preparing to stage a ‘grand power show’ at Islamabad’s Parade Ground to decide its strategy with party supporters on the eve of Independence Day.

In a statement, the interior minister said that the PTI is allowed to stage a public gathering at the Parade Ground, adding that it will be a political stunt.

“Whoever will not cooperate with the FIA relating to an inquiry into the prohibited funding case [against PTI] will be arrested,” warned the interior minister.

Without giving an exact time frame, Sanaullah maintained that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will return to his homeland ahead of the next general elections.

 

 

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Imran trying to divert attention from his theft with PTI 'power show: Interior Minister

Lashing out at the PTI, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Sunday claimed that Imran Khan will suffer defeat during the upcoming by-elections in all the nine National Assembly constituencies that fell vacant after the NA speaker accepted the resignations of the concerned PTI MNAs.

Terming PTI’s back-to-back public gatherings across the country “political stunts”, Rana Sanaullah said that Imran Khan was trying to divert attention from his theft.

It is pertinent to mention here that the PTI is preparing to stage a ‘grand power show’ at Islamabad’s Parade Ground to decide its strategy with party supporters on the eve of Independence Day.

In a statement, the interior minister said that the PTI is allowed to stage a public gathering at the Parade Ground, adding that it will be a political stunt.

“Whoever will not cooperate with the FIA relating to an inquiry into the prohibited funding case [against PTI] will be arrested,” warned the interior minister.

Without giving an exact time frame, Sanaullah maintained that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will return to his homeland ahead of the next general elections.

 

 

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Chinese and Taiwanese warships eye each other as drills due to end

Chinese and Taiwanese warships played high-seas “cat and mouse” on Sunday ahead of the scheduled end of four days of unprecedented Chinese military exercises launched in reaction to a visit to Taiwan by the US house speaker.

Nancy Pelosi’s visit last week to the self-ruled island infuriated China, which responded with test launches of ballistic missiles over the island’s capital for the first time and the cutting of communication links with the United States.

Some 10 warships each from China and Taiwan sailed at close quarters in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line, an unofficial buffer separating the two sides, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

The island’s defence ministry said in a release multiple Chinese military ships, aircraft, and drones were simulating attacks on the island and its navy. It said it had sent aircraft and ships to react “appropriately”.

As Chinese forces “pressed” the line, as they did on Saturday, the Taiwan side stayed close to monitor and, where possible, deny the Chinese the ability to cross, the person said.

“The two sides are showing restraint, the person said, describing the manoeuvres as high seas “cat and mouse”.

“One side tries to cross, and the other stands in the way and forces them to a more disadvantaged position and eventually return to the other side.”

Taiwan said its shore-based anti-ship missiles and its Patriot surface -to-air-missiles were on stand-by.

The Chinese exercises, centred on six locations around the island that China claims as its own, began on Thursday and are scheduled to last until midday on Sunday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported last week.

China’s military said on Saturday the sea and air joint exercises, north, southwest and east of Taiwan, had a focus on land-strike and sea-assault capabilities.

The United States called the exercises an escalation.

“These activities are a significant escalation in China’s efforts to change the status quo. They are provocative, irresponsible and raise the risk of miscalculation,” a White House spokesperson said.

“They are also at odds with our long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, which is what the world expects.”

‘Damaging peace’

China says its relations with Taiwan are an internal matter and it reserves the right to bring the island under its control, by force if necessary. Taiwan rejects China’s claims saying only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.

China has also warned the United States not to “act rashly” and create a greater crisis.

Referring to the response to Pelosi’s visit, the Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper said China had adopted “effective measures that fully demonstrates that China is fully determined and capable of safeguarding national unity and safeguarding … sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Taiwan’s Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters that China had “arrogantly” used military action to disrupt peace and he called on Beijing not to not flex its military muscle.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Saturday its forces scrambled jets to warn away 20 Chinese aircraft, including 14 that crossed the median line. It also detected 14 Chinese ships conducting activity around the Taiwan Strait.

The ministry released a photograph showing Taiwanese sailors closely watching a nearby Chinese vessel.

Taiwan’s forces on Friday fired flares to warn away drones flying over its Kinmen islands and unidentified aircraft flying over its Matsu islands. Both island groups are close to China’s coast.

‘World faces a choice’

As part of its response to Pelosi’s visit, China has halted communication through various channels with the United States including between military theatre commands and on climate change.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of taking “irresponsible” steps and moving away from prioritising peaceful resolution towards the use of force.

Pelosi, a long-time China critic and a political ally of US President Joe Biden, arrived in Taiwan late on Tuesday on the highest-level visit to the island by an American official in decades, despite Chinese warnings. She said her visit showed unwavering US commitment to supporting Taiwan’s democracy.

“The world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy,” she said. She also stressed that her trip was “not about changing the status quo in Taiwan or the region”.

Taiwan has been self-ruled since 1949, when Mao Zedong’s communists took power in Beijing after defeating Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang nationalists in a civil war, prompting their retreat to the island.

Speaking during a visit to the Philippines, Blinken said the United States had been hearing concern from allies about what he called China’s dangerous and destabilising actions but Washington sought to avoid escalating the situation.

He said China’s cessation of bilateral dialogue in eight key areas were moves that would punish the world.

China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, on Friday accused Blinken of spreading “misinformation”.

 

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Coalition govt to take PTI foreign funding case to its logical conclusion: Hamza Shahbaz

Former Punjab chief minister Hamza Shahbaz Saturday said all coalition government parties have unanimously decided to take PTI’s prohibited funding case to its "logical conclusion".

Speaking to journalists after meeting party supremo Nawaz Sharif, Hamza said: “The nation will hold declared Sadiq and Ameen [Imran Khan] accountable for calling others, thieves and robbers.”

“If Nawaz was disqualified for not taking salary from his son then Khan is immersed in prohibited funding from head to toe,” he added.

Regarding PTI’s demand for snap polls, Hamza stated that elections will be held as per schedule in 2023, adding that he is hopeful that his uncle will lead the election campaign of his party.

The PML-N leader, while commenting on Punjab CM’s election, said that they will not leave this matter like this and will seek justice from the court.

“When a full court will be formed in this matter then the case will be crystal clear,” he added.

Hamza had to quit the office of CM after the Supreme Court gave its verdict on the PTI petition against the deputy speaker's ruling. Pervez Elahi of the PML-Q replaced him as Punjab CM due to the verdict.

Hamza arrived in London on a private visit on Friday and is expected to stay in the British capital for a few days. During his stay in London, the former chief minister met party supremo, Nawaz Sharif, who is there since 2019 and other family members.

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Coalition govt to take PTI foreign funding case to its logical conclusion: Hamza Shahbaz

Former Punjab chief minister Hamza Shahbaz Saturday said all coalition government parties have unanimously decided to take PTI’s prohibited funding case to its "logical conclusion".

Speaking to journalists after meeting party supremo Nawaz Sharif, Hamza said: “The nation will hold declared Sadiq and Ameen [Imran Khan] accountable for calling others, thieves and robbers.”

“If Nawaz was disqualified for not taking salary from his son then Khan is immersed in prohibited funding from head to toe,” he added.

Regarding PTI’s demand for snap polls, Hamza stated that elections will be held as per schedule in 2023, adding that he is hopeful that his uncle will lead the election campaign of his party.

The PML-N leader, while commenting on Punjab CM’s election, said that they will not leave this matter like this and will seek justice from the court.

“When a full court will be formed in this matter then the case will be crystal clear,” he added.

Hamza had to quit the office of CM after the Supreme Court gave its verdict on the PTI petition against the deputy speaker's ruling. Pervez Elahi of the PML-Q replaced him as Punjab CM due to the verdict.

Hamza arrived in London on a private visit on Friday and is expected to stay in the British capital for a few days. During his stay in London, the former chief minister met party supremo, Nawaz Sharif, who is there since 2019 and other family members.

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PM Shehbaz establishes relief fund for assistance of flood affected people

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has setup a flood relief fund for those affected from heavy rainfall and floods in the country and asked public to donate for the cause.

The prime minister said that above normal rainfall has led to a disaster in Balochistan while losses were witnessed in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces.

“Despite tough economic conditions, the government has released Rs5 billion for the flood affectees,” he said and asked philanthropists to come forward and help government in rebuilding the structures of those affected in the disaster.

The funds for the flood affectees could be transferred to account number G-12164 of Prime Minister Relief Fund 2022.

It is pertinent to mention here that the prime minister has already announced to impose emergency in areas hit by severe monsoon rains and floods, and ordered the finance ministry to issue Rs 5 billion to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)for rescue and relief programs.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s House, a state of emergency has been imposed in areas severely hit by floods and rains.

Additionally, the PM has ordered to form a joint committee of NDMA and PDMA to commence rescue and rehabilitation programs for the flood-affected people.

The PM said ordered the Finance Ministry to issue Rs 5 billion for the rescue and relief programs, saying the programs are their utmost priority. We will have to think about the people in distress over our political conflicts, the PM added.

The committee formed by PM includes Ahsan Iqbal, Asad Mehmood, Abdul Wasay, Murtaza Javed, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Chairman NDMA and Secretary communications. The committee would hold its inaugural session today and formulate a coordination policy.

The PM added that they need to formulate a short-term and a long-term strategy to overcome the situation. The provincial government have been ordered to submit reports to the federal government by the PM.

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