UN Chief ‘Deeply Alarmed’ by Israeli Strike on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza 

A Palestinian boy inspects the damage after two Israeli missiles hit a building inside the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital, shortly after patients were evacuated following a call from someone who identified himself with Israeli security, in Gaza City, April 13, 2025. (Reuters)
A Palestinian boy inspects the damage after two Israeli missiles hit a building inside the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital, shortly after patients were evacuated following a call from someone who identified himself with Israeli security, in Gaza City, April 13, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Chief ‘Deeply Alarmed’ by Israeli Strike on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza 

A Palestinian boy inspects the damage after two Israeli missiles hit a building inside the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital, shortly after patients were evacuated following a call from someone who identified himself with Israeli security, in Gaza City, April 13, 2025. (Reuters)
A Palestinian boy inspects the damage after two Israeli missiles hit a building inside the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital, shortly after patients were evacuated following a call from someone who identified himself with Israeli security, in Gaza City, April 13, 2025. (Reuters)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply alarmed" at Sunday's strike by Israeli forces on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, his spokesperson said on Tuesday.

"Under international humanitarian law, wounded and sick, medical personnel and medical facilities, including hospitals, must be respected and protected," the UN chief's spokesperson said.

He said the attack dealt "a severe blow to an already devastated healthcare system in the Strip", adding there was strong concern that medical supplies are running low as well as food and water.

Two Israeli missiles hit the major Gaza hospital on Sunday, putting the emergency department out of action and damaging other structures, medics said, in a strike that Israel said was aimed at Hamas fighters exploiting the facility.

Health officials at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital evacuated patients after a phone call from someone who identified himself as Israeli security shortly before the attack.

No new humanitarian supplies have entered the Palestinian enclave since Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks on March 2, as talks stalled on the next stage of a now broken truce. Israel resumed its military assault on March 18.

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 25,000 aid trucks had entered Gaza in the 42 days of the ceasefire and that Hamas had used the aid to rebuild its war machine, an allegation which the group has denied.



Palestinians Create Role for a Vice President and Possible Abbas Successor

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during the 32nd Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council session in Ramallah on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during the 32nd Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council session in Ramallah on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
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Palestinians Create Role for a Vice President and Possible Abbas Successor

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during the 32nd Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council session in Ramallah on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during the 32nd Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council session in Ramallah on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

The Palestine Liberation Organization on Thursday announced the creation of a vice presidency under 89-year-old leader Mahmoud Abbas, who has not specified a successor.
The PLO Central Council's decision came as Abbas seeks greater relevance and a role in postwar planning for the Gaza Strip after having been largely sidelined by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
After a two-day meeting, the council voted to create the role of vice chairman of the PLO Executive Committee. This position would also be referred to as the vice president of the State of Palestine, which the Palestinians hope will one day receive full international recognition.
The expectation is that whoever holds that role would be the front-runner to succeed Abbas — though it’s unclear when or exactly how it would be filled. Abbas is to choose his vice president from among the other 15 members of the PLO's executive committee.