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US Researchers Develop Cooling Textile

Three-dimensional printed thermal regulation textiles. Photo: ACS Nano
Three-dimensional printed thermal regulation textiles. Photo: ACS Nano
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US Researchers Develop Cooling Textile

Three-dimensional printed thermal regulation textiles. Photo: ACS Nano
Three-dimensional printed thermal regulation textiles. Photo: ACS Nano

A team of researchers at the University of Maryland in the US has now developed a thermally conductive and strong textile from fibers of aligned boron nitride nanosheets embedded in a polymer matrix that can cool a person down by up to 2°. The textile is easy to make using a simple, fast and scalable 3D printing method and has a thermal conductivity that is 55% higher than commercial cotton.

Researchers recently fabricated a mid-infrared transparent nanoporous polyethylene fiber for making clothing and face masks that lowers body temperature by radiative cooling. They have also developed glass-polymer hybrid metamaterials that work on the same principle.

Building on such work, a team led by Liangbing Hu of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland has now designed a thermally conductive textile that directly conducts heat away from the body. The material is based on boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) and poly(vinvyl alcohol) (PVA) composite fibres. BNNSs have a high in-plane thermal conductivity of up to 2000 W/(mK) and Hu and colleagues made sure they were able to exploit this property by aligning the BNN sheets in a highly ordered way. They did this by first printing the BN/PVA fibres and then hot-drawing them into aligned structures. The fibers were then weaved or knitted into a textile.

“The hot drawing process creates energetic pathways along which phonons (vibrations of the crystal lattice) can travel,” explains Hu, “and highly oriented BNNSs can effectively enhance the thermal performance of the BN/PVA composite fibre by providing numerous thermally conductive pathways along the aligned and interconnected BNNSs. Indeed, we measured the thermal conductivity of the finished material to be as high as 0.078 W/(mK).”

It also has a high tensile strength of around 355 MPa, he adds.

The material might be used in summer clothing for wearing indoors, nanotechweb.org reported Hu as saying, and we estimate that it can cool a person down by up to 2°.

The researchers, reporting their work in ACS Nano DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.7b06295, say that they will now be further improving the cooling capacity of their thermal regulation textile. “We will also be looking into manufacturing it on a large scale, and then commercializing it,” says Hu.

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Gulf

Saudi Foreign Minister Meets with Cypriot Counterpart

The Saudi and Cypriot Foreign Ministers met in Riyadh on Thursday. SPA
The Saudi and Cypriot Foreign Ministers met in Riyadh on Thursday. SPA
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Saudi Foreign Minister Meets with Cypriot Counterpart

The Saudi and Cypriot Foreign Ministers met in Riyadh on Thursday. SPA
The Saudi and Cypriot Foreign Ministers met in Riyadh on Thursday. SPA

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah met in Riyadh on Thursday with Cypriot Foreign Minister Dr. Constantinos Kompos.

The meeting focused on strengthening the already strong relationship between the two countries. They explored opportunities to enhance cooperation in diverse areas and discussed issues of mutual interest and the latest developments in the world.

The two ministers signed an agreement that grants diplomatic and special passport holders exemption from visa requirements.

The meeting was attended by senior officials.

Sports

Aramco and FIFA Announce Global Partnership

FILES) This picture shows Aramco tower at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh on April 16, 2023. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP)
FILES) This picture shows Aramco tower at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh on April 16, 2023. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP)
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Aramco and FIFA Announce Global Partnership

FILES) This picture shows Aramco tower at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh on April 16, 2023. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP)
FILES) This picture shows Aramco tower at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh on April 16, 2023. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP)

Saudi Aramco signed a four-year global partnership with professional football association FIFA, according to an Aramco statement.

The company becomes FIFA’s major worldwide partner exclusive in the energy category, with sponsorship rights for multiple events including the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 26™ and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™, said the statement on Thursday.

The agreement, which runs until the end of 2027, builds on a shared commitment to innovation and development, and will combine football’s unique global reach with Aramco’s history of championing innovation and community engagement.

“Through this partnership with FIFA, we aim to contribute to football development and harness the power of sport to make an impact around the globe,” said Aramco President and CEO Amin H. Nasser. “It reflects our ambition to enable vibrant communities and extends our backing of sport as a platform for growth.”

"Our existing relationship with the Saudi football team Al-Qadsiah, our support for women’s golf through the Aramco Team Series, and our backing of F1 in schools each demonstrate the possibilities of such partnerships to create pathways for opportunity, positively impact society, and promote development at the grassroots level,” he said.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the partnership will assist the soccer body to successfully deliver its flagship tournaments over the next four years.

“Aramco has a strong track record of supporting world-class events, but also a focus on developing grassroots sport initiatives. We look forward to collaborating with them on a variety of initiatives over the coming years,” he added.

Aramco also intends to work with FIFA to drive innovation, identifying opportunities to deploy the company’s expertise and technologies in the delivery of football events globally. This includes initiatives that aim to provide new and innovative ways for football fans to engage with FIFA’s events, the statement said.

World

Macron Outlines Vision for Europe to Become Assertive Global Power

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, 25 April 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON / POOL
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, 25 April 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON / POOL
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Macron Outlines Vision for Europe to Become Assertive Global Power

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, 25 April 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON / POOL
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, 25 April 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON / POOL

French President Emmanuel Macron warned Thursday that Europe could “die” if it fails to build its own robust defense as Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, or if it fails to undertake major trade and economic reforms to compete with China and the US.

In a nearly two-hour speech at Sorbonne University in Paris, Macron said that the continent is divided and “too slow and lacks ambition” at a time when the 27-member European Union needs to become a superpower, defend its own borders and speak with one voice if it wants to survive and thrive.

“Our Europe today is mortal,” Macron said. “It can die and that depends solely on our choices,” he added. He called on people to make those choices now because, “it’s today that Europe is between war and peace.”

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, is an existential threat and Europe isn't armed enough to defend itself when “confronted by a power like Russia that has no inhibitions, no limits,” Macron said.

‘Our ability to ensure our security is at stake," Macron said. “Russia mustn’t be allowed to win.”

Europe now has the “good fortune” of having the Biden administration’s commitment to supporting Ukraine, Macron said. But, in a year of key elections around Europe, in the US and elsewhere, support may fragment or disappear entirely, he added.

“Europe must become capable of defending its interests, with its allies by our side whenever they are willing, and alone if necessary,” Macron said.

Strong armies, a European rapid intervention program and force, tanks, a missile shield and other weapons, produced in Europe, will need the support of “a joint diplomatic force that will speak with one voice and build bridges with Africa and Latin America,” the French leader said.

“Only then will Europe show that it's not a United States’ lap dog, and that it also knows how to talk to other regions of the world,” he said.

Macron has long called for European "strategic autonomy" involving less reliance on the US, a stance that has gained greater resonance in the face of Donald Trump's bid to return to the White House.

Referring to trade practices of China and the US, Macron said “the two world powers have decided not to respect the rules of global trade” by shoring up protections and subsides while Europe’s industry remains open and is stuck in overregulation.

“Let’s do the same, we are in competition,” Macron said.

“We must buy faster, we must produce more and we must buy more that is made in Europe. That is key,” Macron said.

Thursday's speech came less than two months before a pivotal European Parliament election.

Thursday's speech was billed by Macron's advisers as France's contribution to the EU's strategic agenda for the next five years. The agenda is due to be decided after the European elections.

Arab World

18 Countries Urge Hamas to Release Hostages, End Gaza Crisis

Relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7 protest outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on April 25, 2024. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
Relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7 protest outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on April 25, 2024. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
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18 Countries Urge Hamas to Release Hostages, End Gaza Crisis

Relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7 protest outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on April 25, 2024. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
Relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7 protest outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on April 25, 2024. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)

The United States and 17 other countries on Thursday issued an appeal for Hamas to release all of its hostages as a pathway to end the crisis in Gaza, but the group vowed not to relent to international pressure.
"We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza now for over 200 days," a statement by the countries said, in what a senior US official called an extraordinary display of unanimity.

The 18 countries all have citizens held by Hamas six months after the Palestinian militant group launched its Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel.

The signatories were the leaders of the United States, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand and Britain.

"We emphasize that the deal on the table to release the hostages would bring an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, that would facilitate a surge of additional necessary humanitarian assistance to be delivered throughout Gaza, and lead to the credible end of hostilities," the statement said.

"Gazans would be able to return to their homes and their lands with preparations beforehand to ensure shelter and humanitarian provisions," it said.

Senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that Hamas would not be influenced by the statement and said the United States needs to force Israel to end its aggression.

"The ball now is in the American court," said Abu Zuhri.

A senior US official, briefing reporters about the statement, said there were some indications that there might be an avenue for an agreement on the hostage crisis but that he was not totally confident.

He did not elaborate but said the resolution was dependent on "one guy," the Hamas Gaza leader, Yahya Sinwar.

The hostage proposal put forward earlier this year calls for the release of sick, elderly and wounded hostages in Gaza in exchange for a six-week ceasefire that could be extended to allow for more humanitarian aid to be delivered into the enclave.
It permits the unrestricted return of Gaza citizens to northern Gaza, the official said.

World

UK Sanctions Target Iran Drone Industry

People drive past a wall painting of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei (Top-L) and late supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini (Top-R) in Tehran, Iran, 25 April 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
People drive past a wall painting of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei (Top-L) and late supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini (Top-R) in Tehran, Iran, 25 April 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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UK Sanctions Target Iran Drone Industry

People drive past a wall painting of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei (Top-L) and late supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini (Top-R) in Tehran, Iran, 25 April 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
People drive past a wall painting of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei (Top-L) and late supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini (Top-R) in Tehran, Iran, 25 April 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Britain on Thursday announced new sanctions targeting Iran's military drone industry, in response to Iran's drone and missile attack on Israel earlier this month.

The measures, taken in co-ordination with the US and Canada, target four businesses and two directors at a network of drone companies with the aim of limiting Iran's ability to launch drones.

"The Iranian regime's dangerous attack on Israel risked thousands of civilian casualties and wider escalation in the region," British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in a statement.

"Today the UK and our partners have sent a clear message – we will hold those responsible for Iran's destabilizing behavior to account," Reuters quoted Cameron as saying.

Britain also said it would introduce new bans on the export of drone and missile components to Iran, seeking to limit its military capabilities.

Last week, Britain imposed sanctions on Iranian military figures and organizations, in another coordinated move with the United States, following Iran's action against Israel.
Iran launched drones and fired missiles at Israel on April 13 as a retaliatory strike for the attack on its embassy compound in Damascus two weeks prior, raising the risk of further escalation in conflict in the Middle East.

World

US Issues Sanctions on Iran, Targets Drones

Motorists drive under a billboard of an Iranian missile hanging on a pedestrian bridge in Tehran, Iran, 25 April 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Motorists drive under a billboard of an Iranian missile hanging on a pedestrian bridge in Tehran, Iran, 25 April 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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US Issues Sanctions on Iran, Targets Drones

Motorists drive under a billboard of an Iranian missile hanging on a pedestrian bridge in Tehran, Iran, 25 April 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Motorists drive under a billboard of an Iranian missile hanging on a pedestrian bridge in Tehran, Iran, 25 April 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

The United States on Thursday issued further sanctions on Iran, targeting Iranian drones, including their use by Russia in the war in Ukraine, as Washington seeks to ratchet up pressure on Tehran.

The US Treasury Department in a statement said the action, taken in coordination with the United Kingdom and Canada, targets over one dozen entities, individuals and vessels it accused of playing a key role in facilitating and financing the clandestine sale of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles to Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).

MODAFL in turn supports Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and Russia's war in Ukraine, the Treasury said.

“Iran’s Ministry of Defense continues to destabilize the region and world with its support to Russia’s war in Ukraine, unprecedented attack on Israel, and proliferation of UAVs and other dangerous military hardware to terrorist proxies,” Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said.

Washington also targeted two companies and a vessel involved in the shipment of Iranian commodities, Reuters quoted the Treasury as saying.

“The United States, in close coordination with our British and Canadian partners, will continue to use all means available to combat those who would finance Iran’s destabilizing activities," Nelson said.
The Treasury said it targeted Sahara Thunder, accusing it of being a main front company that oversees MODAFL's commercial activities in support of the IRGC and Russia's war in Ukraine.

It said the company plays a key role in Iran's design, development, manufacture and sale of thousands of drones, many of them ultimately transferred to Russia for use against Ukraine.

As of 2022, Russian officials were negotiating a deal for Sahara Thunder to deliver and produce thousands of drones per year at a facility in Russia under US sanctions, the Treasury said.

Sahara Thunder's leadership and shipping network, which the Treasury said the company relied on for the sale and shipment of Iranian commodities on behalf of MODAFL to jurisdictions including China, Russia and Venezuela, were also targeted.

An Iran-based company involved in the procurement and development of unmanned aerial vehicles, its leadership and an Iranian cargo airline were also among those hit with sanctions.

Varieties

KAUST, NEOM Unveil World's Largest Coral Restoration Project

KCRI is the world's largest coral restoration project, aiming to restore reefs worldwide. SPA
KCRI is the world's largest coral restoration project, aiming to restore reefs worldwide. SPA
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KAUST, NEOM Unveil World's Largest Coral Restoration Project

KCRI is the world's largest coral restoration project, aiming to restore reefs worldwide. SPA
KCRI is the world's largest coral restoration project, aiming to restore reefs worldwide. SPA

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), in collaboration with NEOM, has started working on the first nursery of the KAUST Coral Restoration Initiative (KCRI), a statement from KAUST said on Thursday.

According to the statement, KCRI is the world's largest coral restoration project, aiming to restore reefs worldwide. The primary nursery is already operational, and a second facility is being developed, both located in the Red Sea.

KCRI is funded by KAUST, a world-class graduate research university in Saudi Arabia, which was recently ranked as the number one Arab University by Times Higher Education.

The newly built nursery, on the coast of NEOM in northwest Saudi Arabia, will transform coral restoration efforts with a production capacity of 40,000 corals annually. Functioning as a pioneering pilot facility, researchers will leverage it as the blueprint for large-scale coral restoration initiatives.

Most importantly, this facility serves as a precursor to a more ambitious project: the world's largest and most advanced land-based coral nursery. This nursery, located at the same site, is an advanced coral nursery that will boast a ten-fold larger capacity to nurture 400,000 corals annually. With construction quickly progressing, the project is anticipated to reach completion by December 2025.

Home to 25% of known marine species despite covering less than 1% of the sea floor, coral reefs are the bedrock of numerous marine ecosystems. "This is one reason why scientists are so concerned about the rising rate of mass bleaching events, with experts estimating up to 90% of global coral reefs will experience severe heat stress on an annually by 2050," the statement said. With the frequency of such events on the rise, solutions for coral recovery will be "crucial for a healthy ocean.”

In alignment with Saudi Vision 2030 and its efforts to bolster marine conservation, this major initiative leverages KAUST's research into marine ecosystems and serves as a platform for trialing innovative restoration methods. Set on a 100-hectare site; the initiative will deploy 2 million coral fragments, marking a significant step in conservation efforts.

According to the statement, KCRI aligns with KAUST's overarching strategy, showcasing its dedication to catalyzing positive societal and global outcomes.

Beyond environmental restoration, the project offers educational benefits, further reinforcing its alignment with the broader strategic goals outlined in Vision 2030.

"Recent events provide a stark reminder of the global crisis that coral reefs face. Our ambition is, therefore, to pioneer a pathway to upscale from the current labor-intensive restoration efforts to industrial-scale processes required to reverse the current rate of coral reef degradation,” said KAUST President Prof. Tony Chan.

“As a significant output of KAUST's new strategy, the university is contributing the world-leading expertise of our faculty, who are working on technologies to bring this vision to fruition."

NEOM's CEO, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, said the initiative demonstrates NEOM's dedication to sustainability and finding innovative solutions for global environmental challenges.

NEOM, as a "pioneer in sustainable development" recognizes the importance of reviving coral reefs in partnership with KAUST. Through their longstanding collaboration, they aim to raise awareness about the significance of coral reefs as crucial marine environmental systems and emphasize the need to preserve them for future generations.

Arab World

Israel Intensifies Airstrikes on Gaza's Rafah Before Ground Operation

25 April 2024, Palestinian Territories, Rafah: Palestinians inspect a house that was destroyed following an Israeli airstrike. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
25 April 2024, Palestinian Territories, Rafah: Palestinians inspect a house that was destroyed following an Israeli airstrike. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
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Israel Intensifies Airstrikes on Gaza's Rafah Before Ground Operation

25 April 2024, Palestinian Territories, Rafah: Palestinians inspect a house that was destroyed following an Israeli airstrike. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
25 April 2024, Palestinian Territories, Rafah: Palestinians inspect a house that was destroyed following an Israeli airstrike. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa

Israel stepped up airstrikes on Rafah overnight after saying it would evacuate civilians from the southern Gazan city and launch an all-out assault despite allies' warnings this could cause mass casualties.
Medics in the besieged Palestinian enclave reported five Israeli airstrikes on Rafah early on Thursday that hit at least three houses, killing at least six people including a local journalist.
In the seventh month of a devastating air and ground war against Hamas, Israeli forces also resumed bombarding northern and central areas of the enclave, as well as east of Khan Younis in the south.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet was holding meetings "to discuss how to destroy the last vestiges, the last quarter of Hamas' battalions, in Rafah and elsewhere," government spokesperson David Mencer said.
He declined to say when or whether the classified forum might give a green light for a ground operation in Rafah.
Israeli warplanes had hammered the north for a second day on Wednesday, shattering weeks of comparative calm there.
The war, now in its seventh month, has killed at least 34,305 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities said on Thursday. The offensive has laid to waste much of the densely populated and widely urbanized enclave, displacing most of its 2.3 million people and leaving many with little food, water or medical care.
Escalating Israeli warnings about invading Rafah, the last refuge for around a million civilians who fled Israeli forces further north earlier in the war, have nudged some families to leave for the nearby al-Mawasi coastal area or try to make their way to points further north, residents and witnesses said.
But the number of displaced people departing Rafah, abutting Gaza's southern border with Egypt, remained small. Many were confused over where they should go, saying their experience over the past 200 days of war had taught them that no place was genuinely safe.

Western countries, including the United States, have pleaded with Israel to hold back from attacking the city, saying this could cause a humanitarian disaster given the presence of many displaced people with only rudimentary shelter and little food or access to medical care.

Arab World

Belgian Agency Aid Worker Dies in Gaza

25 April 2024, Palestinian Territories, Rafah: Palestinians children walk next to a destroyed house following an Israeli airstrike. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
25 April 2024, Palestinian Territories, Rafah: Palestinians children walk next to a destroyed house following an Israeli airstrike. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
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Belgian Agency Aid Worker Dies in Gaza

25 April 2024, Palestinian Territories, Rafah: Palestinians children walk next to a destroyed house following an Israeli airstrike. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
25 April 2024, Palestinian Territories, Rafah: Palestinians children walk next to a destroyed house following an Israeli airstrike. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa

An aid worker who was part of Belgium's development aid efforts in the Gaza Strip died in an Israeli strike on Rafah, the country's development minister, Caroline Gennez, said on Thursday.

"It is with deep sadness and horror that we learn of the death of our colleague Abdallah Nabhan (33) and his seven-year-old son Jamal, last night, following a bombardment by the Israeli army in the eastern part of the city of Rafah", the minister said in a statement.

Nabhan, whose nationality was not disclosed, worked for the Enabel agency, assisting small businesses, Reuters reported.
The statement said at least seven people were killed by the strike on a building that housed about 25 people, including displaced people from other parts of the Gaza Strip occupied by Israeli forces following an attack on Israel by Hamas last October.
"The indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians goes against every international and humanitarian law and the rules of war," Gennez said.

Arab World

Biden Names New Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues

Internally displaced Palestinians, who fled their homes due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, take shelter near the border with Egypt, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 20 April 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Internally displaced Palestinians, who fled their homes due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, take shelter near the border with Egypt, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 20 April 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
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Biden Names New Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues

Internally displaced Palestinians, who fled their homes due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, take shelter near the border with Egypt, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 20 April 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Internally displaced Palestinians, who fled their homes due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, take shelter near the border with Egypt, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 20 April 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD

US President Joe Biden on Thursday appointed Lise Grande as the new special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues, the State Department said in a statement.

Grande, who replaces David Satterfield, is currently head of the independent US Institute of Peace.

She previously worked for the United Nations for more than 25 years, a career that included running aid operations in Yemen, Iraq and South Sudan.

The United Nations has long complained of obstacles to getting aid in and distributing it throughout Gaza in the six months since Israel began an aerial and ground offensive against the Gaza Strip's Hamas.

Israel's military campaign has reduced much of the territory of 2.3 million people to a wasteland with an unfolding humanitarian disaster since October, when Hamas ignited war by storming into southern Israel.

Satterfield said on Tuesday that Israel has taken significant steps in recent weeks on allowing aid into Gaza, but considerable work remained to be done as the risk of famine in the enclave is very high.