Category World News

‘Alarming’ medicine shortages in Gaza amid Israeli restrictions

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After more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza and a crippling blockade, Gaza’s ministry of health has launched an appeal for more drug, medical supplies, and laboratory supplies.

The ministry claimed on Sunday that it was difficult to offer diagnostic and treatment services due to the shortages.

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Doctors in the Palestinian territory where the war has ravaged the country have long been warned that Israel’s refusal to provide the most crucial medical supplies is a cause for their struggle to save lives. Nearly all of Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare facilities were attacked during Israel’s genocidal war, which lasted for more than two years, with 34 hospitals among the damage caused by at least 125.

According to a statement from the Health Ministry, “there are now 321, which represents a 52% shortage of items on the essential medicines list.”

“There are now 710 items on the list of medical consumables that are completely out of stock, which is a 71% shortage. The supply shortage rate for blood bank supplies and laboratory tests increased to 59%, it added.

According to the ministry, emergency services experience the worst drug shortages, particularly intravenous life-saving solutions, intravenous antibiotics, and pain killers.

According to the report, the shortage of emergency and intensive care services could prevent 700 patients receiving intensive care, 100 000 of surgical care, and 200 000 of emergency care.

The ministry cited additional shortages, among others, in kidney, oncology, open-heart surgery, and orthopedic supplies.

The Ministry of Health urgently appeals to all relevant parties to fully assume their responsibilities in implementing emergency interventions in light of these alarming figures, along with the continued reduction by the occupation of the number of medical trucks entering Gaza to less than 30% of the monthly needs, and with the insufficient supply of supplies,” it said.

Israel continues to violate its agreement with Hamas despite a US-backed ceasefire that ended on October 10 and worsens what the Gaza Health Ministry has described as a pressing and ongoing health emergency.

1,500 children are awaiting the opening of border crossings to travel and get medical care outside of Gaza due to the shortage of medical supplies.

1,200 patients, including 155 children, died on Sunday as a result of a medical emergency, according to Zaher Al Waheidi, the head of the information unit at Gaza’s health ministry.

Released Palestinian detainees

Meanwhile, six Released Palestinian detainees from Israeli detention arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah on Sunday for medical treatment, according to medical sources. A correspondent for the Anadolu news agency said the men were transferred via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Without following definite legal procedures, rights groups claim that Israel had detained the men. Since October 2023, the ICRC has warned that international humanitarian law requires family contact and humane treatment for Palestinians who are detained in Israeli custody.

The releases are a part of Israeli sporadic operations targeting detainees in Gaza. Former prisoners’ reports of abuse and malnourishment are common.

More than 10, 000 Palestinians, including women and children, are still imprisoned in Israeli prisons, where rights groups claim there is widespread abuse, starvation, and medical neglect. In October, about 1,700 detainees were freed as part of the ceasefire agreement.

A child and two women were rescued from their homes in Sheikh Radwan, northwest of Gaza City, by Gaza’s Civil Defense, who were also trapped underground.

Four people were killed when the roof collapsed, according to the Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza.

Since the ceasefire’s implementation, 46 buildings in Gaza have collapsed, according to the ministry, killing at least 18 people.

How volatile is the political situation in Bangladesh?

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Following the murder of a student leader during the uprising last year that overthrew Sheikh Hasina, tensions are growing.

Following the killing of a student leader during the uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year, tensions are rising in Bangladesh.

In February, new government elections are scheduled.

How tumultuous is the political climate then?

Presenter: Dareen Abughaida

Guests:

Taqbir Huda, an Oxford University scholar and Clarendon Scholar, is an expert on human rights.

Asif Shahan, a professor of development studies at the University of Dhaka, is

Published On 21 Dec 2025

Nigeria says 130 kidnapped Catholic schoolchildren freed

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According to a presidential spokesman, Nigerian authorities obtained the release of 130 kidnapped schoolchildren after 100 were freed earlier this month from a Catholic school.

In a post on X on Sunday, Sunday Dare wrote, “Another 130 Abducted Niger State Pupils Released, None Left In Captivity.”

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In the north-central Niger State, hundreds of students and staff members were abducted in late November from St. Mary’s co-educative boarding school.

The attack occurred in the town of Chibok, where there have been numerous recent mass kidnappings that are comparable to those committed by Boko Haram in 2014.

The West African nation is plagued by armed bandits in the northwest and armed “bandit” gangs in the northeast, all of which are interconnected security issues.

Throughout the ordeal, it has been unclear how many children were actually taken from St. Mary’s.

After the attack in the rural hamlet of Papiri, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) initially claimed that 315 students and staff members had been unaccounted for.

About 100 people were freed on December 7 after about 50 of them escaped immediately after that.

Before Sunday’s announcement that 130 people had been rescued, roughly 165 people were thought to be still in captivity.

However, a UN official claimed that all those arrested appeared to have been released because numerous suspected kidnappers had managed to flee during the attack and make their way home, according to a UN source.

The source said that the accounting process has been challenging because the children’s homes are dispersed across rural Nigeria and that sometimes it takes three or four hours to travel by motorbike to their remote villages.

The source informed AFP that “the remaining number of girls and secondary school students will be transported to Minna, the Niger State capital, on Monday.”

According to Daniel Atori, a CAN spokesman in Niger State, “we’ll still need to do final verification.”

Mass kidnappings

Who was the kidnapped from their boarding school and how was their release made public has not been revealed.

In Nigeria, criminals and armed groups frequently engage in quick cash kidnappings for ransom.

However, the country’s already gloomy security situation was unaffordably raised by a string of mass abductions in November.

A bride and her bridesmaids were also taken hostage by the attackers, who also took the hostages of 38 churchgoers and two dozen Muslim schoolgirls.

The kidnappings come as Nigeria is facing a diplomatic slog from the United States, where President Donald Trump threatened military intervention after making allegations that there have been numerous, mass-murders of Christians in the country that amount to a “genocide.”

The Christian right has long used that framing in the US and Europe, but Nigeria’s government and independent analysts disagree.

The Boko Haram armed group seized nearly 300 girls from their boarding school in the northeastern town of Chibok in one of the first mass kidnappings that attracted international attention in 2014.

US pursues another oil tanker near Venezuela: Reports

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by news organizations

According to US media reports, the US is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters close to Venezuela in what would be its second and third major oil-related operation in less than two weeks.

A US official told the Reuters news agency on Sunday that the US Guard was actively looking into a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that was a part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion.

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It is being held in a judicial custody order, flying a false flag.

The tanker was being held accountable, according to another official, who also explained that the tanker had not yet been boarded and that interceptions could take various forms, including sailing or flying close to vessels of concern.

Under the condition of anonymity, the officials did not specify the location of the operation or the name of the vessel being pursued.

The Associated Press news agency also cited an official briefed on the operation separately for reporting on the pursuit of the tanker.

The official said Sunday’s pursuit involved “a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion,” adding the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Additionally, the official claimed that the ship was operating under a judicial seizure order and flying a false flag.

Two tankers were seized.

Following the US’s “blockade” ordered by US President Donald Trump on Saturday, an oil tanker was seized off Venezuela.

The coastguard apprehended the vessel with Pentagon support, according to US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday.

She wrote that the United States would continue to investigate the illicit movement of sanctioned oil to finance narcotic terrorism in the area.

She continued, “We will find you, and we will stop you.”

The US has seized a tanker close to Venezuela twice in recent weeks, and this is in the context of a significant US military expansion there.

Trump ordered a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the South American nation on Tuesday, following a “total and complete blockade” of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s administration.

In addition to the increased military presence in the area and more than 20 airstrikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, Trump’s pressure campaign on Maduro has also resulted in increased military presence. The attacks have claimed at least 100 lives.

Worker at France’s Elysee Palace to face trial over alleged theft

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The Paris prosecutor’s office has announced that the president’s silverware keeper and two other men will be tried in court for allegedly stealing thousands of euros worth of porcelain and other tableware.

Thomas M, the silverware keeper, and Damien G, both 22, were detained on suspicion of theft on Tuesday, according to the prosecution. Ghislain M, a different man, was detained on suspicion of stealing things. Due to French privacy laws, they were unable to provide their full names.

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The Elysee, the president’s official residence, reported the disappearance of silverware and tableware used for state dinners and other occasions, according to the prosecution office, with the missing items estimated to be between 15 000 and 40 000 euros ($17, 500 and $ 46, 800).

According to prosecutors, Thomas M’s suspected downward inventory adjustments appeared to anticipate future thefts in interviews with the president’s staff, according to prosecutors.

According to them, copper pots, Sevres porcelain, and Baccarat champagne glasses were among the items found in Thomas M’s personal locker, his car, and home.

On the online marketplace Vinted, Thomas M was selling items that were not accessible to the general public, according to prosecutors who found an air force-stamped plate and ashtrays. ‌

The three suspects pleaded guilty to aggravated handling of stolen goods, as well as a 10-year sentence in prison and a $175, 000 fine, and a separate charge of stealing moveable property listed as part of the national heritage.

The trial was moved to February 26 for the time being. The defendants were subject to judicial supervision, prohibited from eliciting bids, and prohibited from engaging in professional activities.

Ghislain M worked as a guard at the Louvre museum, according to his lawyer, who claimed that his client’s suspected involvement was because of his “passion” for rare antique goods. Le Parisien, the first newspaper to report the case.

The museum’s own robbery occurred in October when construction workers allegedly robbed valuable items from France’s crown jewels, stoking the debate over security standards at the nation’s landmarks.

Swedish authorities board sanctioned Russian ship in national waters

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Authorities were inspecting the cargo on Friday when a Russian freighter anchored in Swedish waters due to engine problems, according to Sweden’s customs service.

According to Martin Hoglund, a customs authority spokesman, the owners of the ship, the Adler, are on the list of countries” potential sanctions.

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We boarded the ship with the assistance of the Swedish Coast Guard and the police service last night, according to Hoglund, and we performed a customs inspection shortly after 00:00 GMT. The inspection is still ongoing, it seems.

Hoglund declined to disclose what the ship’s customs service had discovered.

The Adler is a 126-meter-long, roll-on, roll-off container carrier, according to ship-tracking company Marine Traffic. Off Hoganas in southwest Sweden, it is anchored.

Sanctions from the EU and the US

According to OpenSanctions, a database of sanctioned businesses and individuals, persons of interest, and government watchlists, the Adler and its owners, M Leasing LLC, are both subject to US sanctions and are both on an EU sanctions list.

Hoglund claimed the ship left St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 15, but he claimed customs had no knowledge of its destination.

The Swedish Customs Administration, the coastguard, the Swedish National Task Force, the Swedish Security Service, and prosecutors all took charge of the night-time operation.

In a previous incident, Greek forces had earlier boarded the Adler in the Mediterranean in January 2021. The operation was carried out as part of Operation Irini, an EU initiative that monitors Libya’s UN arms embargo.