LONDON: A UK-based humanitarian charity has said that, without immediate action to enhance aid access and the quality of assistance, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is poised to worsen further.

“In a much-awaited development, the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt has been opened for humanitarian aid access,” Penny Appeal said in a statement one week after the opening.

“While this step brings a glimmer of hope to the people of Gaza, the situation remains dire as the aid flow remains sluggish and inadequate.

CAIRO: Egypt’s government launched on Saturday a campaign to urge Egyptians abroad to participate in the 2023/2024 presidential elections.

Soha Gendi, minister of emigration and expatriate affairs, announced the “Share Your Vote” campaign during her first meetings with the leaders of Egyptian communities in six Gulf countries — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

LONDON: Unending waves of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza over the past fortnight have aggravated an already perilous situation for the enclave’s children, who have suffered for more than a decade with no end to the conflict in sight.

Health officials in the Gaza Strip say that more than 2,300 children have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas that erupted following the Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel by the Palestinian militant group.

TEL AVIV: The Israeli army accused Hamas on Friday of abusing hospitals in the Gaza Strip for military purposes, as war rages in and around the Palestinian territory.
The allegation was swiftly denied by Hamas, and the main UN agency working in Gaza said earlier it had mechanisms in place to prevent aid being diverted.
“Hamas wages war from hospitals” in Gaza, military spokesman Daniel Hagari told journalists, adding that the group was also using fuel stored in hospitals to help carry out its operations.

BEIRUT: A military convoy of the Lebanese army in the border village of Aytaroun has reportedly come under fire from Israeli forces, but no casualties were reported.

Clashes between the two sides have intensified on the southern front after significant de-escalation for just one day.

Hezbollah announced on Friday that it had targeted the Israeli military outpost of Misgav Am — which faces the Lebanese village of Al-Adayseh — with guided missiles, “damaging part of its equipment.”