Caretaker Minister of Economy and Trade, Amin Salam, wrote on platform ‘X’: ‘On the occasion of Saint Maron’s Day, we extend our congratulations to the Maronite community in Lebanon and the world, praying to God that this occasion brings with it goodness, love and peace, and restores to Lebanon the spirit of prosperity and stability…May you be blessed with each year.”
BASSIL ON SAINT MARON’S DAY: WITH FAITH, OPENNESS and FREEDOM, LEBANON HAS BECOME A HOMELAND and STATE
Free Patriotic Movement Chief, MP Gebran Bassil, wrote today on platform ‘X’: ‘Saint Maron was neither Lebanese nor a politician. He was a Christian hermit in northern Syria, around whom a faith community grew up, seeking refuge in the mountains and valleys of Lebanon…They became, along with Patriarch John Maroun, a people whose conviction is: faith in Jesus, openness to others, and attachment to freedom….”
He added: “With faith, openness, and liberty, Lebanon has become a homeland and a state. We are committed to this trinity, without which Lebanon does not exist, and we will continue to struggle to preserve it.’
Half a million in Gaza deprived from education – UN
Amman: Philippe Lazzarini, General Commissioner of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said that more than half a million children do not attend the primary and secondary school system in Gaza.
The UN general commissioner denounced that “children (in the enclave) are being robbed of their childhood.”
“Child casualties in Gaza are tragic, so children’s future is at stake,” Lazzarini wrote on X.
Source: Jordan News Agency
ISRAELI SHELLING TARGETS KFAR KILA
National News Agency correspondent in Marjayoun reported that Israeli artillery shelling targeted the southern town of Kfar Kila from a Merkava tank this morning.
721 attacks on healthcare facilities in occupied Palestinian territories – WHO
Amman: The World Health Organization (WHO) said that, since October 7th, 721 attacks on medical facilities in the occupied Palestinian areas had been recorded.
A WHO spokeswoman, Tarik Jasarevic, stated that approximately 357 of the strikes took place in the Gaza Strip, resulting in 645 fatalities and 818 injuries.
at a UN press conference, he added that 364 attacks in the occupied West Bank have resulted in ten fatalities and 62 injuries
Source: Jordan News Agency
UN chief warns UNRWA cannot be replaced
NEW YORK: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterress warned today that his the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) cannot be replaced.
Several countries — including the United States, Britain, Germany and Japan — have suspended funding to the UNRWA, and Guterres has led talks with donor countries to have payments reinstated.
“No other organization has a meaningful presence inside Gaza — and nothing compared with this situation. So there is no other organization that would be able now to replace” it, Guterres told a media briefing.
Guterres pointed to the cost effectiveness of UNRWA as he defended why it was the best-placed organization to continue to deliver aid to Gaza.
“The costs with UNRWA are much lower than the costs with other agencies for historical reasons. The salaries paid by UNRWA are one-third of the salaries paid by UNICEF or WFP or other UN organizations,” Guterres said.
“So any attempt of replacement, that is not possible.”
Source:Palestine news & Information Agency – WA
FA
Israeli forces committ 15 massacres against Gaza families, sources confirm
GAZA: Medical sources confirmed today that the Israeli occupation forces committed 15 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, killing 130 civilians and wounding 170 others, during the past 24 hours.
The Israeli occupation forces continue their aggression against the Gaza Strip, by land, sea and air, since October 7th, 2023, so far killing 27,708 Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom were women and children, and injuring about 67,147 others, while more than 8,000 people are still missing under the rubble and on the roads.
Source:Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA