WHO Says it Stands with Ukraine, Has Documented 200 Attacks on Health Facilities

Zinaida Baranchuk, 72, takes a pause as she stands amid the rubble of her house which was destroyed after Russian shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Irpin, Ukraine May 6, 2022. Picture taken May 6, 2022. (Reuters)
Zinaida Baranchuk, 72, takes a pause as she stands amid the rubble of her house which was destroyed after Russian shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Irpin, Ukraine May 6, 2022. Picture taken May 6, 2022. (Reuters)
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WHO Says it Stands with Ukraine, Has Documented 200 Attacks on Health Facilities

Zinaida Baranchuk, 72, takes a pause as she stands amid the rubble of her house which was destroyed after Russian shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Irpin, Ukraine May 6, 2022. Picture taken May 6, 2022. (Reuters)
Zinaida Baranchuk, 72, takes a pause as she stands amid the rubble of her house which was destroyed after Russian shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Irpin, Ukraine May 6, 2022. Picture taken May 6, 2022. (Reuters)

World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told Ukrainians from Kyiv on Saturday that the WHO stood by them in their conflict with Russia, and urged Moscow to stop waging war on its neighbor.

"My message to all the people of Ukraine is this," he said, speaking from the government media center in the capital. "WHO stands by you."

WHO Emergencies Director Mike Ryan told the same news conference that the WHO had already documented 200 attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine, and would pass its findings on to those who could assess whether crimes had been committed.



Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich to Meet US Treasury Secretary Next Week

Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem March 5, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem March 5, 2023. (Reuters)
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Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich to Meet US Treasury Secretary Next Week

Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem March 5, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem March 5, 2023. (Reuters)

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a right-winger kept at arms length by Washington under former President Joe Biden, will meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington next Wednesday, Smotrich's spokesman said on Thursday.

Smotrich went to Washington in March 2023 to meet with leaders of Israel's US-based government bonds program but did not meet any officials from Biden's administration.

The pro-settler Smotrich had clashed with Biden officials, including then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, over aid and banking arrangements for the Palestinian territories.

Smotrich has praised President Donald Trump, including over a decision to lift sanctions imposed under Biden against Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.