A senior health official has warned that Gaza’s healthcare system is in danger of a catastrophic collapse as thousands of patients are facing disability or death as a result of the harsh Israeli occupation.
The situation inside Gaza’s hospitals was “tragic and horrific,” according to Munir al-Barsh, the director-general of the country’s Ministry of Health, as Israeli authorities continued to obstruct the flow of desperately needed medical supplies, directly affecting doctors’ ability to treat patients in critical situations.
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Doctors in Gaza’s war-ravaged region have long warned that Israel’s refusal to let the most crucial medical supplies in has gravely hampered their efforts to save lives. Israel continues to violate its agreement with Hamas despite a US-backed ceasefire that was effective in October, furthering what the Health Ministry has called a critical and ongoing health emergency.
Al-Barsh claimed that there were frequent shortages of medical supplies and medications, particularly surgical supplies, needed to perform operations.
He claimed that nearly three-quarters of the supplies were inaccessible, with severe shortages of solutions, anaesthetics, gauze, and dialysis supplies, as well as power outages and a significant shortage of generators, which also hampered their work.
He claimed that this was the most dangerous situation since the Palestinian Authority’s founding more than 30 years ago.
Nearly all of Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare facilities have been attacked, including 34 hospitals, during Israel’s genocidal war, which has lasted for more than two years. In its brutal war, Israel killed more than 1,700 health workers. 95 Palestinian doctors and medical personnel, including 80 from Gaza, are still being held by Israel.
Thousands of people are awaiting medical care abroad.
Al-Barsh claimed that the situation had an impact on people who were also injured by Israeli aggression.
Nearly 40, 000 pregnant women were living in subpar shelters, jeopardizing their health and that of their unborn children, while 4, 000 glaucoma patients were facing the risk of permanent blindness due to a lack of treatment options.
He warned that as a result of Israeli restrictions on aid that is urgently needed in the enclave, an estimated 320, 000 children under five years were at risk of malnutrition.
Waiting lists were long and patients were dying while receiving medical attention, despite the existence of a system for transporting patients outside Gaza for treatment.
According to Al-Barsh, at least 1, 156 patients died while receiving medical care, a “lengthy and complex” process that saw doctors’ referrals from Gaza evaluated by the World Health Organization (WHO) before being sent to Israeli authorities for security clearance.
He claimed that there were nearly 20 000 patients in Gaza who were on waiting lists for travel, with about 3,700 of them in critical condition and 18,500 of whom had received WHO approval.
He claimed that there were about 4,300 children waiting to be transferred out of the territory.
He urged Israel to immediately impose border crossings to facilitate the movement of desperately needed humanitarian supplies and permit the transport of thousands of critical patients for treatment, and warned that any additional delays could result in lost lives.
The new leadership of CBS News is facing an outcry over alleged political interference in its coverage after a report on a controversial Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration has deported immigrants was pulled at the eleventh hour.
Criticism of the network grew on Monday after an investigation into alleged abuses at El Salvador’s maximum – security Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) was pulled just hours before it was scheduled to air on the flagship 60 Minutes current affairs programme the previous night.
The abrupt move led to accusations from inside 60 Minutes and across the US media landscape that the broadcaster’s parent company, Paramount Skydance, appeared to be censoring news content to curry favour with the Trump administration.
A CBS News spokesperson said in an email that the segment “needed additional reporting”, while a statement posted on the show’s social media pages said the report – “Inside CECOT” – “will air in a future broadcast”.
However, in an email to CBS News colleagues, which was reported by the US media after being leaked, Sharyn Alfonsi, the correspondent who reported the piece, said the report had been pulled for “political” reasons.
“Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices”, Alfonsi wrote.
“It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now, after every rigorous internal check has been met, is not an editorial decision, it is a political one”.
She added: “If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘ kill switch ‘ for any reporting they find inconvenient”.
‘ Abuses ‘ at mega-prison
The story – circulated online on Monday after it appeared to have streamed on Canada’s Global TV app – included allegations that Venezuelan deportees sent to the mega-prison had been tortured, and raised questions about how the United States characterised them.
Located on the edge of a jungle 75km (47 miles) southeast of San Salvador, CECOT is a huge, maximum-security facility touted by El Salvador’s right-wing President Nayib Bukele as the centrepiece of his attempt to tackle narcotics gangs.
The facility has been at the centre of a major US legal case since March, when the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan and other migrants there, despite a judge’s order that they be returned to the US.
Several deportees who have since been released have described repeated abuse at the facility, where human rights activists say inmates are treated brutally.
Push for ‘ varied perspectives ‘ at network
The broadcaster’s decision to postpone the story follows growing criticism that it is increasingly pivoting towards an editorial line more in step with the conservative Trump administration.
Skydance Media, run by David Ellison – the son of Larry Ellison, a key donor to President Donald Trump ahead of his election last year – acquired Paramount in August, with regulatory approval for the deal helped along by a pledge that CBS News would reflect the “varied ideological perspectives” of US viewers.
In October, the company named conservative media figure Bari Weiss, known for her pro-Israel positions and frequent criticism of “woke” politics, as the editor-in-chief of CBS News, as part of what critics said was a push to steer the network in a direction more aligned with the Trump administration.
The outcry over the pulled story comes as Paramount Skydance is in a multibillion-dollar bidding war with Netflix to buy Warner Bros Discovery – a merger Trump has signalled he is watching closely, and which will likely require regulatory approval.
In a statement to The New York Times, Weiss said the network would be “airing this important piece when it’s ready” and downplayed the significance of the decision to postpone its airing.
“Holding stories that aren’t ready for whatever reason – that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices – happens every day in every newsroom”.
The executive producer of 60 Minutes, Tanya Simon, told fellow employees that she had resisted Weiss’s order, but “ultimately had to comply”.
“We pushed back, we defended our story, but she wanted changes”, Simon was quoted as saying by The Washington Post, in a transcript of the producer’s private meeting with colleagues.
‘ A free press doesn’t kowtow ‘
The network’s decision to postpone the story has drawn widespread criticism across the US political and media spheres, with many voices expressing concerns that CBS News was already forgoing its journalistic obligations by censoring to curry favour with the Trump administration.
In an X post on Monday, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump “and his billionaire buddies are trying to shape what people see and hear to create their own alternative reality”.
“The Trump administration doesn’t have a veto on what stories get told”, he added. “A free press doesn’t kowtow to the president – it holds him accountable”.
Liberal magazine The New Republic posted that the episode showed that political censorship of the media under the Trump administration was “already happening”, while Norm Ornstein, political scientist and contributing editor to The Atlantic magazine, wrote that the incident was “beyond monstrous”.
“There goes CBS”, posted podcaster and activist Amy Suskind. “All it took was Trump posting on social media about Warner Bros takeover. Weak capitulation”!
Columnist Matthew Yglesias wrote that it was “hilarious” that the report had leaked online despite it being blocked by CBS News executives.
British police have arrested Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and two other people at a pro-Palestine protest in central London, according to campaign group Defend Our Juries.
The group said Thunberg was arrested on Tuesday at the Prisoners for Palestine protest held in the heart of London’s Square Mile financial district outside the offices of Aspen Insurance, which provides coverage for Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems.
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The group said Thunberg had arrived after the protest began, and it shared video footage of the activist holding a sign reading, “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.” Thunberg has called Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide and has twice joined flotilla campaigns to try to break Israel’s siege of Gaza.
The City of London Police, which polices the financial district, confirmed that a 22-year-old woman, a description corresponding to Thunberg, was arrested for displaying a placard “in support of a proscribed organisation (in this case Palestine Action) contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000”.
This is the latest protest in solidarity with activists from the Palestine Action group, six of whom are currently on hunger strike in British prisons with two now hospitalised. The direct action group has been proscribed as a “terrorist organisation” by the United Kingdom’s government.
Defend Our Juries said Tuesday’s protest was held to draw attention to Aspen Insurance’s “complicity in genocide” and to express solidarity with prisoners affiliated with Palestine Action.
Thunberg is seen after her arrest for holding a placard expressing support for Palestinian Action prisoners and condemnation of Israel’s genocide [Handout/Defend Our Juries]
Two others, a man and a woman, were also arrested at the protest although they had “glued themselves nearby”, according to the City of London Police, which described damage with “hammers and red paint” to “a building on Fenchurch Street”, where the offices of Aspen Insurance are located.
Defend Our Juries confirmed the damage, saying in a news release that two activists “covered the front of the building with symbolic blood-red paint, using re-purposed fire extinguishers” before attaching themselves to the front of the building in the aim of “drawing attention to Aspen’s complicity in Genocide, disrupting their business, and closing down the building”.
The group said Aspen Insurance, a global insurer and reinsurer, was targeted because of its affiliation with Elbit Systems UK, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, which is Israel’s largest arms producer. It describes its drones as “the backbone” of the Israeli military.
Palestine Action protesters had targeted one of the UK subsidiary’s operations in Bristol last year. Among their five key demands, the group’s hunger strikers want the manufacturer, which has several UK factories, to be shut down.
Defend Our Juries said in its news release that Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister David Lammy has “refused to speak to legal representatives of the hunger-strikers, or their families”.
A few days earlier, Thunberg had voiced solidarity with the hunger strikers on Instagram, saying: “It is up to the state to intervene, and put an end to this by meeting these reasonable demands that pave the way for the freedom of all those who choose to use their rights trying to stop a genocide, something the British state has failed to do themselves.”
After naming Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the Arctic island’s special envoy, Copenhagen protested, President Donald Trump has stated that the United States needs Greenland for “national security.”
“We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals”, Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Monday, adding that Landry would “lead the charge”.
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Landry said he would make the Arctic territory “a part of the US”.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen vehemently criticize the remarks.
In a joint statement, they said, “You cannot annex another country… Not even with an argument over international security.” “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the US shall not take over Greenland”, they added.
Trump has repeatedly stated his desire for the mineral-rich island, which Denmark and many other European countries have unwaveringly rejected since he first returned to the White House in January.
What does Trump’s sending of an envoy mean for Greenland, and how likely is it that he will be able to acquire it?
Why is Trump saying Greenland is ‘ essential ‘ to US national security?
The island’s abundance of resources was deemed “essential” for security reasons by the US president rather than for its abundance of minerals.
He said on Monday that the US has “many sites for minerals and oil” and that if you look up and down the coast, you can see Russian and Chinese ships all over it.
Trump’s interest in Greenland is not new.
He advocated the purchase of the island from Denmark during his first term as US president, which lasted from 2017 to 2021. After Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen criticized the idea, Trump then delayed a 2019 trip to the Nordic nation.
He has refused to rule out the use of military force to seize control, noting in March that the US would “go as far as we have to”.
Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, is located about 2, 900 kilometers (1, 800 miles) from New York, which is geographically located in the same region as Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, which is located about 3, 500 kilometers (2, 174 miles) east.
There are 57, 000 inhabitants in the semi-autonomous territory.
Why has Trump sent an ‘ envoy ‘ to Greenland – what does that signify?
The US ambassador was summoned to explain the decision on Sunday when the US president named Louisiana governor Landry as its special envoy to Greenland.
Landry’s statement following the announcement further amplifies Denmark’s concern over the White House’s intentions by saying it would be an honor to serve in a capacity meant to “make Greenland a part of the US.”
Taking to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said Landry is aware “how essential Greenland is” for US national security.
Even though Trump is “clearly serious” about his interest in Greenland, according to Marc Jacobsen, a professor at the Danish Defence College, it is unlikely to use force to do so.
However, Jacobsen told Al Jazeera, “We certainly see attempts to gain influence through other channels, such as strategic investments and pushing narratives that portray Denmark as a bad partner.”
“The appointment of Jeff Landry as special envoy and Tom Dans as the leader of the US Arctic Research Commission should be seen as new elements in this strategy”, he added.
How has Greenland responded to this most recent action?
Dhaka’s Lokke Rasmussen said Landry’s appointment confirmed the continued US interest in Greenland.
“However, we insist that everyone – including the US – must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark”, he told the AFP news agency.
Greenland’s prime minister Nielsen stated on Monday that the country is “friendly” toward Washington and that “they know there is no obstacle to the United States increasing security in the Arctic on Greenlandic territory if they wish to do so.”
However, it is unacceptable to pressurize a nation that is populated and has its own sovereignty, Nielson told the daily Sermitsiaq.
People in Greenland broadly favour increased independence from Denmark – but not the transfer of sovereignty to the US.
In a 2009 referendum, Denmark granted Greenland a number of self-governing powers, including the right to declare its independence.
After at least three US officials linked to former president Trump were spotted in Nuuk, Greenland, in August, Denmark called the US charge of affairs to check local sentiments about bolstering ties with the US.
In March, US Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, were accompanied by White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on a tour of the US’s Pituffik Space Base , in northwestern Greenland” to receive a briefing on Arctic security issues and meet with US service members”, according to a statement released by Vance’s office.
However, Mute Egede, the acting head of government in Greenland, claimed in a 2012 online post that the country had not actually invited anyone to come to the country for an official or private visit.
In response to Landry’s statement, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa stated that working with allies and partners was a “key priority” for the EU and will continue to be and continue to be.
” Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law. These tenets are crucial for nations all over the world, they said on X.
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, reiterated on Tuesday that France supports Denmark’s and Greenland’s territorial integrity.
He said Greenland” belongs to its people “and Denmark” serves as its guarantor”.
Why does the US value Greenland as strategic?
Trump has repeatedly emphasized that US defense and international security interests depend heavily on Greenland’s strategic location in the Arctic, particularly its proximity to North America and Europe.
Its location, offering the shortest route from North America to Europe, would give Washington leverage for its military and its ballistic missile early-warning system.
The US is interested in installing radars in the waters that connect Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom. The US wants to track Russian and Chinese ships because these waters serve as their entry point.
The island also hosts the Pituffik Space Base, a major US military installation used for surveillance and missile warning operations.
What kind of mineral resources is there in Greenland?
Trump has disputed that his genuine interest in Greenland stems from its mineral wealth. However, it is rich in mineral resources critical for the production of modern technologies, including rare-earth elements for electronics and clean energy, as well as uranium, zinc and other base metals.
Although their extraction is restricted, there are also potential oil and gas deposits there. According to surveys, Greenland accounts for a sizable portion of the EU’s crucial raw materials.
(Al Jazeera)
What other nations are attempting to capture positions in the Arctic, and why?
In recent years, several nations have expanded their Arctic activities.
Climate change and a rapidly melting ice sheet are the main reasons the Arctic has become a geopolitical hotspot.
The Arctic is becoming more accessible for maritime trade routes and resource exploration, including by non-Arctic nations as well as those with an Arctic presence, at a rate four times faster than the average global temperature.
In the area, China has deployed ships capable of carrying out both military surveillance and research tasks. The purposes are to collect data and secure access to resources and shipping lanes, which are emerging as a result of melting ice.
In response to threats posed by growing Russian and Chinese activity, Canada released a 37-page security policy that included plans to increase its military and diplomatic presence in the Arctic last year.
Russia has increased its naval presence in recent years, deployed missile systems, and increased Arctic weapons testing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also noted Trump’s interest in the region.
Putin stated earlier this year that he believed Trump was serious about grabbing Greenland and that the US would continue to try to acquire it during an address at the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk, Russia’s largest city within the Arctic circle.
Putin said, “It can look surprising only at first glance, and it would be wrong to think that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current US administration,” adding that he anticipates the US will continue to pursue its geostrategic, military-political, and economic interests in the Arctic.”
Putin also expressed concerns about Russia’s neighbours, Finland and Sweden – both of which have borders inside the Arctic circle – joining NATO, the transatlantic military alliance between North America and Europe. Sweden joined NATO in 2024, and Finland joined in 2023.
Putin stated that while Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic, it will closely follow developments and develop a plan to combat them by strengthening our military might and modernizing its military infrastructure.
Could the US take Greenland by force?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would be ended if the US invaded Greenland, according to Jacobsen.
NATO, a military alliance between Europe and North America, was established in 1949 with the support of Denmark and the US.
” On a personal level for Trump, it would also mean the end of any ambitions for getting a peace prize, which he has strived for so long, “Jacobsen told Al Jazeera.
All of his efforts to end the wars in Ukraine, Palestine, and elsewhere would be futile.
Jacobsen added that “reasonable people in the right positions” are still present who would “pull the” handbrake” on a ridiculous idea like enraging Greenland.
After a night of fighting in Aleppo, Syrian government soldiers and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have agreed to end fighting. In the clashes, there were several casualties. Just days before the SDF and Syrian army’s end-of-year deadline, the violence occurs.
In a move that some people fear will undermine the country’s reputation on the global stage, the US government is recalling dozens of ambassadors and other senior career diplomats to make sure embassies are in line with President Donald Trump’s “America First” priorities.
A senior official told the Reuters news agency on Monday that the recall was “a standard procedure in any administration,” claiming that an ambassador should be treated as a “personal representative” of the president. The State Department declined to provide a list of the diplomats.
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The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that “the president has the right to ensure that he has individuals in these nations who support the America First agenda.”
Almost 30 senior diplomats posted to smaller nations, where the top US representative has traditionally been recruited from the apolitical Foreign Service, were among those ordered back to Washington, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
According to two unidentified State Department officials, senior diplomats from at least 29 nations were being given notice about their imminent departures on Wednesday, according to an anonymous source with the Associated Press.
Politico first reported on the recalls, which claimed a State Department official cited a statement from Politico that said on Friday that two dozen ambassadors were being told to leave their posts.
The American Foreign Service Association, a group of officers who represent foreign service officers, announced on its Facebook page that it had received “credible reports” that “multiple career ambassadors appointed under the Biden administration” had been phoned to leave their posts by January 15 or 16 without giving an explanation for the decision.
According to spokesperson Nikki Gamer in an email cited by Reuters, “Abrupt, unexplained recalls reflect the same pattern of institutional sabotage and politicisation that our survey data shows is already harming US credibility abroad.”
Giving China and Russia the upper hand in the US
Ambassadors are elected by the president, but typically they serve for three to four years.
According to State Department officials who spoke to AP, those who are affected by the shakeup do not lose their jobs in the international service, but instead will go back to Washington to take other assignments if they choose to.
Ambassadors from 13 nations were removed from Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, and Uganda, according to the news agency.
According to the statement, Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Vietnam, Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovakia, Algeria, Egypt, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, and Suriname will also see ambassadial changes.
Trump is “giving away US leadership to China and Russia by removing qualified career ambassadors who serve faithfully no matter who is in power,” according to Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on X.
