Category World News

A lot of noise – missiles and explosions, the sound of drones, shouting and wailing, screams of “martyr, martyr”. The breaking of glass, slamming doors, collapsing buildings, fires blazing, thunder, lightning, wind, gasps of death, darkness, and ashes. I still have them all in mind.

Although I almost a year ago, I still have these memories and sounds haunt Gaza. I left everything behind – my home, my friends, my extended family – but could not shed the echoes of the war.

Here, in Cairo, I keep reliving the trauma of what I had seen, heard and felt in the first four months of the war in Gaza.

When I hear the sound of an aeroplane in the sky, my heart races in fear, thinking it’s a warplane. When I hear the sound of fireworks, I panic, imagining them to be bomb explosions.

Exile used to seem like a place where peace and safety could be, but it turned out to be one.

Our lives are still ruled over by the destruction and death that is occurring in Gaza. We continue to experience the loss, suffering, and survival struggle that we believed we had left behind.

The sound of bombs is not real; it is just the echo of our memories in our minds; we do not live in a tent that has been flooded by rain and we are not starving. But we still live in misery.

My father, the breadwinner of our family, could not find a job for months. When he did, it paid a meagre salary. We face mounting debt and cannot afford basic necessities.

Meanwhile, we have stayed fully immersed in the horror of Gaza. The bombardment, the mass killing, the suffering in torn-up tents – it streams to us on messaging apps hour by hour.

I have palestinian friends who all appear to be in the same situation: they are besieged by the war and suffering.

“I wish I had died with them instead of living”, my friend Duaa told me recently. Soon after the genocide began, her family sent her to Cairo to finish her studies peacefully. “I had a feeling I wouldn’t see them again when I said goodbye”, she said, sobbing.

She attempted to contact her family to check on them but was unsuccessful when she arrived in Egypt believing life had given her a better chance to study abroad. She was overcome with anxiety until she learned of their martyrdom.

She failed her studies because the pain was unbearable. She continues to struggle to pay the rent on her apartment and threatened to have her landlord evicted because of her late payments. She is an orphan, alone in exile, and may soon become homeless, too.

Another friend, Rawan, had been studying in Egypt for a few years before the war started, dreaming of a bright future. On October 10, 2023, a huge explosion destroyed her house, killing her entire family. Only her mother, who miraculously survived despite severe injuries, and her married sister, who lived in another house, are left.

Rawan told me she missed her father’s encouraging messages, the support of her brothers Mohammed and Mahmoud, and the innocent laughter of her sister Ruba. She never completed her education. She has become a shadow of herself.

Nada, another friend, is in Cairo with her sister. Because their names were not on the list of people who could cross the Rafah crossing, the girls were forced to leave their parents and brother behind in Gaza.

In Cairo, Nada felt lost, alienated, and afraid. She attempted to travel with her parents and brother, but the occupation stormed Rafah and blocked the crossing. She claimed at the time that she thought the world had shut down completely.

Nada and her sister live alone, without the support of relatives, and struggle. The strain and sadness have been severe. Nada claims she looks like a skeleton despite having lost a lot of weight.

They are reluctant to leave the apartment they are staying in because of harassment and fear of kidnapping, she claims.

“We yearn for our past lives in every detail”, she says.

We are aware of this, but we also recognize the loss of our previous lives. Nothing will ever go back to how it was before, even if the war ends. Nothing will make up for the agonizing loss.

The conflict is supposed to be ended by the ceasefire that is effective right now, but it’s not clear whether it will. Since Wednesday’s announcement, more than 120 people have died. And we are aware that more people will perish due to poor weather. Zacco is no longer a suitable place to live.

The Israeli government will set its own rules for how long the population is kept enslaved and blocked, even if there is lasting peace. If it occurs, reconstruction will last a long time. Despite the difficulties we face, we as a family have chosen to begin anew in exile.

Following 15 months of fighting that left much of the coastal Palestinian enclave ablaze, celebrations erupted across the Gaza Strip.

After Hamas provided a list of three female captives to be released as part of the deal to Israel through mediators, the ceasefire came into effect on Sunday at 11:15 am local time (9:15 GMT).

“My joy is beyond measure”, said Gaza resident Om Salah.

I packed everything up right away as soon as they declared the ceasefire so that I could travel to Gaza City. My children are extremely happy to go and see our families, relatives and our lands”, she told Al Jazeera.

“Here, we are always scared and worried, but back home we will be very happy, and joy will come back to our lives”.

A young Palestinian man said, “Everyone is happy, particularly the children”.

“Hopefully, the Israelis will not violate it]ceasefire] in the next few days”, he told Al Jazeera.

He claimed to finish his education as all he wanted to do. During this genocide, “a lot of dreams were destroyed.”

We kept it alive, they say.

In the streets of Gaza, health workers and rescuers were also seen celebrating. Numerous civil defense teams chanted and raised victory signs in videos that were shared online and verified by Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from outside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, said there were “no violations reported since the ceasefire took effect”.

“There have been no more bombs, no more fighter jets, and no more drones. The only instances of gunfire to be heard are from street celebrations, he claimed. “We’ve heard both gunshots and fireworks frequently.”

Before the ceasefire was implemented, Israeli forces also killed at least 19 Palestinians and injured dozens more on Sunday, bringing the total number of deaths in the 15-month genocide to nearly 47, 000. The actual figure, according to Palestinian rights organizations, could be significantly higher.

At least 1, 139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and about 250 were taken captive.

Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Khan Younis, said Palestinians from the southern city of Rafah described the destruction caused by Israel there as “massive”.

She claimed that they had no idea where their neighborhoods were.

“Nevertheless, people are very happy. You see everyone smiling, you see everyone chanting, and most of the Palestinians are saying: ‘ We made it alive out of this war. ‘”

“Angel and uncertainty”

Palestinian families began tearing down their tents and returning to their homes as a result of constant Israeli bombings, according to Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud, who was reporting from the hospital’s courtyard.

Families are reportedly gathered their belongings while they were at the hospital, which we are seeing. As they leave the hospital gates, their faces are so excited, he continued.

Despite reports that his home had been destroyed, Anwar, a Palestinian displaced man who lives in Khan Younis and chose not to provide his last name, said he hoped to return to Rafah.

He told Al Jazeera, “I will go there and I will look for a place to set up a tent to live with my eight-member family.” I must return to my hometown. I must return to the birthplace.

Anwar said the months of war were like a “nightmare”. “It was literally a nightmare, as if we]were] dreaming and then we got up again”, Anwar said.

He claimed that his family and he had to rely on cheap food and water and that the cost of goods was “scarily high.”

Other displaced people have reported coming home, but they discovered that even the most extensive destruction makes it difficult to even construct a temporary shelter.

Palestinian displaced person Mahmoud Anwar Abu-Salem, who has spent three months in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, has spoken to Al Jazeera after speaking with the network.

“The house, the whole thing, was reduced to rubble. Fifty members of my family will live in the streets”, he said, explaining that before the war, the five-floor building housed many of his relatives.

“Schools have also been destroyed. There is no life at all”, Abu Salem said. “Even the mosque was targeted and destroyed. Even so, setting up a tent here is challenging.

Nour Saqqa, a displaced Palestinian woman from Gaza City, said she feels an “overwhelming mixture of emotions”.

According to Saqqa, “we haven’t been completely relieved, not just because of how stressful these 15 months have been, but also because the ceasefire itself has been splintered and not announced and implemented all at once,” Saqqa told Al Jazeera in Rafah.

Saqqa claimed that the population is suffering “even more psychological stress” because she and other Palestinians from Gaza City were still prohibited from returning to their homes during the first phase of the ceasefire.

Donald Trump will take the oath of office on Monday, making a stunning comeback as president of the United States.

Following his loss in the 2020 election, many believed Trump’s political future was over. Additionally, critics questioned whether scandal would overshadow his legacy.

After all, his false allegations of election fraud stooped the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Then, he faced four criminal indictments: one for allegedly withholding classified documents, one for falsifying business records, and two for accusations of election interference.

Trump, however, won his most significant victory in a November election by winning both the symbolic popular vote and the Electoral College.

His latest inauguration is set to bring together several former critics-turned-allies, among them powerful members of the country’s tech elite.

What happens during a US presidential inauguration, who will be attending, and what can it tell us about Trump’s return to power? In this brief explanation, we answer all of those questions.

What is an inauguration?

In the United States, a presidential inauguration is when a president-elect takes the oath of office and formally begins their four-year term.

To swear in, the president-elect usually places their hand on a bible, although some have opted for another book of spiritual or political significance.

After reciting the oath of office, the new president offers inaugural remarks to a gathered crowd of supporters, government officials and foreign dignitaries.

What is stated on the office oath?

The oath comes from Article II in Section I of the US Constitution.

It reads: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”.

What book will be Trump’s official book?

Trump wore the same bible as Abraham Lincoln during his first inauguration in 1861. Additionally, his late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, gave him a second bible.

According to reports in the media, Trump will likely use both his mother’s book and the Lincoln bible this year.

Trump has also used the occasion to promote sales of the special edition “Inauguration Day” bible, which is currently priced at $699.99.

In a website promotional video, Trump states that “the biggest thing we have to bring back to America is God” to restore it to its former glory.

The inauguration will take place when and where?

The inauguration will be held at 12pm Eastern Time (17: 00 GMT) on January 20, 2025.

The ceremony was originally supposed to take place outdoors, on the west front of the US Capitol, facing a park called the National Mall, in Washington, DC.

But icy temperatures forced Trump to reconsider. On Friday, citing safety concerns, he announced that the ceremony would be moved indoors to the Capitol’s rotunda, under its 88-metre-high (288-foot) dome.

That enclosed space, however, will limit the number of attendees. Although the original outdoor event had nearly 250, 000 seats available, Trump has urged his supporters to instead watch a live broadcast at Capitol One Arena, where he will make an appearance later in the day.

What will be the temperature?

As a polar vortex sweeps across the US, early predictions suggested Trump’s second inauguration might be one of the coldest in recent years.

As of Friday, the National Weather Service projected temperatures on Monday at noon to hover around -6 degrees Celsius, or 22 degrees Fahrenheit.

Has the Capitol Rotunda ever hosted a president’s inauguration?

Just one. Ronald Reagan, who had previously assumed office in 1985, also faced icy conditions. The temperature hit -14 degrees Celsius, or just 7 degrees Fahrenheit, even lower than what’s forecast for Monday.

So, like Trump, Reagan made the decision to move his inauguration indoors, to the Capitol Rotunda.

Other presidents, however, have held their ceremonies in other parts of the Capitol, like inside the Senate chamber, though outdoor ceremonies have become increasingly standard.

Who will be attending?

Although powerful people have always attended presidential inaugurations, the number of attendees for this year has grown.

Three former presidents — Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton — will all be in attendance. So will the leaders of the outgoing administration, &nbsp, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

On the campaign trail, both Biden and Harris faced Trump. While Biden won his 2020 match-up with Trump, he dropped out of the 2024 race, and Harris, who took his place, ultimately lost.

Trump’s guest list also includes a who’s who of far-right leaders from around the world. The Argentine president Javier Milei, the prime minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, the president of the United States, Eric Zemmour, and Nigel Farage, a member of the British Parliament, are all expected to attend.

Given the legal proceedings he faces at home, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro attempted to attend, but the Supreme Court of his country determined that he was a flight risk.

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Mark Zuckerberg, one of the most well-known businessmen, will also play a role in Trump’s re-election.

Despite being hesitant and directly criticized in the past, critics have interpreted the tech billionaires’ presence as a sign that the sector has embraced Trump.

Though he previously called the January 6 insurrection a “shameful day”, Apple’s Tim Cook reportedly donated $1m to Trump’s inauguration ceremony.

Cook is not alone. In a sign of the business world’s efforts to win favour with the incoming administration, Trump’s inauguration fund had raised a record $170m as of January 8.

By the time the ceremony unfolds, some insiders expect the total to top $200m.

These funds help pay for both the inauguration itself and related expenses, such as parades and private balls.

Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta have said they would donate $1m, along with Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, who donated $1m.

Other big donors include the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, the financial services company Intuit, the stock-trading app Robinhood, and automakers like Ford and General Motors.

Trump’s previous inauguration also racked up a record haul of donations, topping $106.7m. By contrast, Biden only received $61.8m in donations for his 2021 ceremony.

Who will perform at the inauguration?

Trump famously struggled to find performers for his 2017 inauguration — but this year, that’s not the case.

Country singer Lee Greenwood will reprise his hit song “God Bless the USA,” which is a well-known addition to Trump’s soundtrack for the campaign trail, while pop star Carrie Underwood will sing the song “America the Beautiful.”

Meanwhile, opera singer Christopher Macchio will offer his rendition of the national anthem.

The disco song YMCA, a Trump favorite, will also be performed by Village People.

What was the US flag’s controversy?

Former US president Jimmy Carter passed away on December 29 at the age of 100. In accordance with tradition, 30-day mourning days were held on federal buildings.

But that 30-day period overlapped with the inauguration, and Trump objected to having half-mast flags waving over his ceremony.

Trump wrote on social media this month that “the Democrats are all “giddy” about the possibility of our magnificent American flag being “half mast” during my inauguration. No American can be happy about it, and no one wants to see it.

Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, ultimately sided with Trump, requesting the flags be pulled up to full height on Monday. He did, however, specify that they would be lowered again the following day.

This marks a break in presidential tradition. In the past, flags have been raised throughout the duration of the day’s mourning, as was the case in 1973, when President Richard Nixon took the second oath of office while honoring Harry Truman as one of his aides.

Will there be protests?

In opposition to his far-right policies, demonstrators took to the streets in protest of Trump’s administration when he took office in 2017.

On the day of Trump’s first inauguration, more than 200 protesters were detained, but almost all of the charges against them were dropped.

Then, on the day after, nearly 500, 000 people joined the Women’s March on Washington, marking one of the largest single-day protests the city has ever seen. Nationwide, nearly four million people participated in the local versions of the Women’s March.

This time around, however, the reaction appears more muted. Few people anticipate demonstrations of the same magnitude as those in 2017 despite the fact that protests are expected to occur.

What about security?

Security is expected to be high, especially after the attempt on Trump’s life last July, when he was shot in the ear while campaigning in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Nearly 48 kilometres, or 30 miles, of fencing have been set up around the Capitol, the most ever installed. The barrier is two meters (7 feet) high, making it impossible for people to cross it.

An estimated 25, 000 law enforcement agents are also expected to be patrolling the capital, including 7, 800 National Guard members.

City authorities in Washington, DC, have said that there will be road closures near the inauguration, and ticket-holders will have to pass through a security screening before entering any related event.

What is the anticipated crowd size?

Donald Trump’s inauguration day crowd is no exception to the rule. The crowd size is a big deal to him.

Although this was untrue, Trump spent weeks insisting that he had attracted the largest inaugural crowd ever.

About 220, 000 tickets have been released for this year’s inauguration, with space available for about 250, 000.

After more than 15 months of fighting, the long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas finally came into effect, tens of thousands of forcibly displaced Palestinians are returning to their homes and walking through devastated swaths of Gaza.

Israel on Sunday said a truce with Hamas began in Gaza at 11: 15am (09: 15 GMT), nearly three hours after initially scheduled, following a last-minute delay on the orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

During the 15 months of the genocide, almost the entire 2. 3 million people in Gaza were forced to relocate, often more than once.

In the northern part of Jabalia, hundreds of Palestinians followed a sandy path to apocalyptic landscape full of rubble and destroyed structures.

In the main southern city of Khan Younis, people celebrated their pending homecoming.

“I am very, very happy”, said Wafa al-Habeel. “I want to go back and kiss Gaza’s soil and ground. I am longing for Gaza]City] and longing for our loved ones”.

After defeating Czech Jiri Lehecka, 10-time champion Novak Djokovic defeated 10-time champion Novak Djokovic to reach the blockbuster Australian Open quarterfinal with Carlos Alcaraz.

The 37-year-old Serb, who is gunning for a record 25th Grand Slam title, beat the 24th seed 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.

He was placed 15th overall in Melbourne Park, a record he now holds ahead of Rafael Nadal and John Newcombe, and he now ranks second behind Roger Federer.

Additionally, the victory gave him three more quarterfinal appearances than the Swiss great, making his own record to 61.

Third seed Carlos Alcaraz, who is already a four-time Slam winner at age 21, has never advanced past the Australian Open quarterfinals, will face him on Tuesday in a showdown with him.

“We had some long battles, long exchanges”, said Djokovic, who stopped only very briefly for the post-match on-court interview, his hasty retreat getting some boos from the crowd.

In terms of the intensity and energy on the court, the matches I played against him resemble those against Nadal.

” He’s a very dynamic, explosive player. Incredibly talented. Charismatic player. Great to watch – not that great to play against, “he added with a smile.

Alcaraz, from Spain, set up the clash with Djokovic after Briton Jack Draper retired during their last-16 match when losing 7-5, 6-1.

” Being in a quarterfinal, I’m going to approach the match the same as I did in the previous matches against him, and let’s see, “said Alcaraz of Djokovic.

” When we are seeing him playing, he seems like he’s young again, so … It’s unbelievable. He’s in a really good shape. “

But Alcaraz added:” I’m just ready and I know what I have to do in quarterfinals. “

Seven times have Djokovic and Alcaraz squared off, with the Serb leading 4-3, including winning their most recent match in the Paris 2024 Olympics final.

They have already met at three Grand Slams, including the Spaniard, who won both of them in the Wimbledon final.

But Djokovic has never played in Melbourne Park, where he has had the best success.

Djokovic dominates, and Alcaraz receives a first-class pass.

Lehecka won the lead-up Brisbane International event, where Djokovic lost in the quarterfinals, but he was never seriously in the reckoning on the big stage.

Djokovic put a quick dent in his serve in the eighth game of set one when the Czech committed a double fault.

Another break on Lehecka’s opening serve set the tone for set two, with Djokovic dominating from the baseline.

In a closer set three, the young Czech changed his approach, causing Djokovic to serve more and increase his serving intensity.

The Serb made some stunning shots in the tiebreak to win.

Alcaraz was well on top when Draper won the matchup because “many areas really hurt” on a hot afternoon.

Draper, who is 15th seeded in Melbourne, rallied from behind in all three of his matches to win the tournament, and it finally caught up with him. He needed five sets to win.

” It’s not the way I wanted to win. But obviously, I’m happy to play another quarterfinal here in Australia, “said Alcaraz.

” Physically, I’m feeling great. It is therefore important to feel well physically as we approach the second week of a Grand Slam because the matches are currently even more difficult.