عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Hamas Says Three Members Killed after Infiltrating into Israel from Lebanon

Rockets are launched from the coast of the Gaza Strip towards Israel by militants of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, Gaza City, 14 October 2023. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
Rockets are launched from the coast of the Gaza Strip towards Israel by militants of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, Gaza City, 14 October 2023. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
TT
TT

Hamas Says Three Members Killed after Infiltrating into Israel from Lebanon

Rockets are launched from the coast of the Gaza Strip towards Israel by militants of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, Gaza City, 14 October 2023. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
Rockets are launched from the coast of the Gaza Strip towards Israel by militants of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, Gaza City, 14 October 2023. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, claimed responsibility in a statement on Sunday for yesterday’s infiltration from Lebanon towards Israel and announced that 3 of its fighters were killed after they managed to “penetrate into” Israel.

The group said its fighters managed to blow the border fence between the two countries and target the surveillance and access point inside occupied Palestine.

Clashes with Israeli forces caused losses on both sides, added Hamas, explaining that an Israeli aircraft targeted its fighters “during the clash” which led to their death, the Agence France-Presse reported.

On Saturday, for the second consecutive day, armed groups tried to infiltrate into Israel from Lebanon. The Israeli army said it detected “a terrorist commando trying to enter Israeli territory from Lebanon,” and that an Israeli patrol opened gunfire killing many of them.

Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee said Sunday that warplanes were able to kill Bilal al-Qudra, the commander of an elite Hamas unit in Khan Yunis, who was said to have been responsible for an attack by the movement in Nirim and Nir-Oz, according to the Arab World News Agency.

“Under the intelligence guidance of the Shin Bet, warplanes were able to eliminate the so-called Bilal al-Qudra, commander of Hamas’ elite unit in the South Khan Yunis Battalion... A number of other activists in (Hamas) and (Islamic Jihad) were also eliminated,” Adraee said on X platform.

The spokesman stated that the Israeli army raided more than 100 targets last night in Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, Khan Yunis, and western Jabalia to weaken Hamas’ capabilities.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

UN Warns: Polio Continues to Threaten Lives of Yemeni Children

Since 2023, a series of polio immunization campaigns have been conducted (UN)
Since 2023, a series of polio immunization campaigns have been conducted (UN)
TT
TT

UN Warns: Polio Continues to Threaten Lives of Yemeni Children

Since 2023, a series of polio immunization campaigns have been conducted (UN)
Since 2023, a series of polio immunization campaigns have been conducted (UN)

Yemen continues to battle an outbreak of variant poliovirus, with 273 cases reported over the last three years amid a humanitarian crisis and declining vaccination rates, two UN agencies warned on Saturday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said data paints an alarming picture that polio, a disease that can cause irreversible paralysis and death, and which can be prevented by vaccination, continues to threaten the lives of children in Yemen.
This comes at a time when Yemen’s children are also faced with life threatening problems such as cholera, diphtheria, and malnutrition, they said.
In Yemen, which until 2020 had been polio-free for decades, national polio immunization coverage dropped from 58% in 2022 to 46% in 2023 due to the fragility of the health system and the social, political and security crisis, WHO and UNICEF reported.
“The outbreak of variant poliovirus type 2 in Yemen persists amidst increasing health emergencies, further straining an already overburdened health system,” said Dr Arturo Pesigan, WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Yemen.
He added that “through renewed collective action and customized strategies that integrate health services with polio vaccination for Yemen’s children, we can enhance outbreak response and surveillance, making significant progress towards eradicating the spread of variant poliovirus in Yemen.”
To bridge the immunization gap and combat the surge in polio cases, WHO and UNICEF are teaming up with the Health Ministry and other partners to reach missed children and underserved communities.
Ongoing Campaigns
Since 2023, a series of polio immunization campaigns have been conducted. The two campaigns conducted in 2024 reached 1.2 million children in the first round in February, and over 1.3 million children in the second round in July, representing 100% and 102% coverage respectively.
In addition, the Health Ministry, WHO, UNICEF, Gavi and other partners are joining forces to implement the Big Catch-up initiative which aims to restore and accelerate routine immunization services for children who missed vital vaccines.
The authorities and health partners have jointly launched the Health Emergency Expansion Response (HEER) initiative, which aims to extend integrated primary health care (PHC) services, including vaccination.
The focus is on reaching underserved areas, enhancing health equity, and addressing the ongoing polio and measles outbreaks.
“The battle against polio is challenging in a fragile, conflict-affected context like Yemen. But eradication is within reach,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative to Yemen.
“We need to gather efforts with the local authorities, health professionals and community leaders among other partners to ensure that every child is vaccinated against polio and other preventable diseases,” he added.
Need for Assistance
While efforts are underway, additional support and resources are needed to step up initiatives to end polio and save the lives of vulnerable children.
WHO and UNICEF are calling on governments, partners and donors to prioritize the vaccination of all children against polio through vaccination campaigns, strengthen immunization systems to ensure all children receive essential, life-saving vaccines, deliver an integrated package of health services, including polio vaccine and protect humanitarian and health care workers delivering vaccines.
WHO and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) have launched a $3 million project to significantly boost immunization coverage and measles surveillance over a 15-month period.
More than 1.2 million people are set to benefit from this vital initiative to combat measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases across Aden, Hajjah, Saada and Taiz – four of the governorates most affected by Yemen’s current measles outbreak.
The project aims to ameliorate the coverage of children vulnerable to diseases such as measles, polio, diphtheria and pertussis.
Solar refrigerators will be provided to 81 health facilities as part of the project, ensuring greater access to vaccination services.
The project will be rolled out in 77 districts across the four target governorates. The project will involve 770 health facilities and deploy 1540 health workers to ensure regular vaccination throughout its duration.