Israel must allow tents and caravans to immediately be delivered to the Gaza Strip, a United Nations expert says, as displaced Palestinians returning to the north of the bombarded territory have found their homes and neighbourhoods destroyed.
Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, said people are finding nothing but rubble in areas from which Israeli forces have withdrawn in northern Gaza.
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“The psychological impacts and trauma are profound, and that’s what we are seeing right now as people are returning to northern Gaza,” he told Al Jazeera in an interview on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been streaming back into Gaza’s north after Israeli forces pulled back on Friday as part of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to halt the two-year conflict.
Palestinians across the coastal enclave have welcomed the suspension of Israel’s bombardment, which has killed more than 67,700 people since October 2023 and plunged Gaza into a humanitarian crisis.
The UN estimated that 92 percent of all residential buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed since the war began, and hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have been forced to live in tents and other makeshift shelters.
Rajagopal noted that tents and caravans were meant to be delivered to Gaza during a ceasefire early this year but “almost none” of them was allowed in due to Israel’s strict blockade.
“That is really to me the crux of the issue right now. Even immediate relief and aid to the people of Gaza is not possible unless Israel stops controlling all the entry points. That is essential,” the UN expert told Al Jazeera.
Rajagopal, who has used the term “domicide” to describe the decimation of homes across the Strip, said the destruction of housing in Gaza has been a central component of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.
“The destruction of homes and clearing people from the area and making the area uninhabitable is one of the main ways in which the act of genocide has been committed,” he said, adding that the recovery process will ultimately take generations.
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters have marched in London, expressing scepticism and cautious hope as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has entered its second day.
“We’re … sharing the relief of the Palestinian people,” said Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which has organised mass monthly pro-Palestinian rallies in London since the start of the war on October 7, 2023.
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“But we also come here sharing their trepidation that this ceasefire will not hold, rooted in the knowledge that Israel has violated every ceasefire agreement it’s ever signed,” Jamal told the AFP news agency on Saturday.
Despite concerns about United States President Donald Trump’s proposed plan to end the war on Gaza, which calls for a transitional authority ultimately headed by the US leader, Jamal said there was an “immense sense of relief”.
A sea of red and green, the colours of the Palestinian flag, formed along the embankment of the River Thames in central London, where the largely peaceful march began.
Police officers remove pro-Israel protesters from a London rally in support of Palestinians [Jaimi Joy/Reuters]
Protesters donned black and white keffiyeh scarves, carried signs saying “Stop Starving Gaza” and “Stop the genocide”, and chanted “Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Police removed several pro-Israel protesters from the crowd.
Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from the rally in London, said there has been “no cease to the demonstrations … in the UK expressing solidarity with Palestine”.
Challands said that while 32 such protests have been held so far, Saturday’s was a “huge one” as protesters came from all over the country.
People travelled to the capital on buses and trains from cities including Bristol, Cambridge and Sheffield.
The government in the UK has been making it increasingly difficult for pro-Palestine demonstrations to take place and wants the police to have more power to restrict such gatherings, Challands noted.
Last weekend, London police arrested at least 442 people at a rally in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action in central London.
Israel’s two-year war on Gaza has killed more than 67,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and caused a humanitarian crisis. Famine conditions were declared in some parts of the besieged territory last month, and a UN commission has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
Challands said people were sceptical that the latest ceasefire would hold for a “significant amount of time”.
“They are worried about the perseverance of US President Donald Trump,” he said.
Katrina Scales, a 23-year-old sociology and psychology student attending the rally, said the ceasefire was “not enough” and she planned to keep attending marches.
“I’m here with my friends to help show that there is continuously eyes on Gaza, even considering the current ceasefire,” she said.
Trade unionist Steve Headley, in his 50s, said he is also unconvinced.
“Hopefully now we’ve got the first steps towards peace, but we’ve been here before,” Headley told AFP. He questioned Trump’s “plans for a ‘Riviera’ in Gaza” that the US president touted this year.
Many of the demonstrators in London are sceptical US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza will hold [Jaimi Joy/Reuters]
For 74-year-old Miranda Finch, part of a group marching under the banner “descendants of Holocaust survivors against Gaza genocide”, the ceasefire was “very little”.
“The Palestinians are not going back to nothing. They’re going back to less than nothing. Rubble on top of bodies on top of sewage.”
Fabio Capogreco, 42, who was attending his fifth demonstration with his two children and wife, said the ceasefire was “too little, too late”, adding that those complicit in the war need to be held accountable.
“Hopefully it’s one of the last times we need to come here to manifest,” the bar manager said. “But I think it’s too early to say everything is OK.”
Protests were also planned later on Saturday in other European cities, including Berlin. A march is also expected on Sunday in Sydney, Australia, where pro-Palestine demonstrations have filled streets in recent weeks.
Former United States President Joe Biden is undergoing radiation treatment and hormone therapy to fight prostate cancer that was diagnosed in May, his spokesperson said.
“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” Biden aide Kelly Scully said on Saturday.
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The ex-president’s office announced in May that Biden had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that spread to his bones after he experienced urinary symptoms and a prostate nodule was found.
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” wrote Biden in a post on X after receiving the diagnosis in May. “Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
Biden’s son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, according to the American Cancer Society.
It is particularly common in the elderly – about 80 percent of men more than 80 years of age have some cancerous cells in their prostate gland, research has estimated.
While it is highly treatable if discovered early, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, the organisation said.
Hormone therapy is a common treatment that can shrink tumours and slow cancer growth, but it is not a cure.
Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness using what is known as a Gleason score. The scores range from 6 to 10, with 8, 9 and 10 prostate cancers behaving more aggressively.
Biden’s office said his score was 9, suggesting his cancer is among the most aggressive but that the illness is hormone-sensitive, meaning it is likely to respond to treatment.
Cousins Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech will meet in a dream final of the Shanghai Masters after pulling off stunning semifinal upsets of former champions Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.
World number 204 Vacherot became the lowest ranked player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final after he defeated a struggling Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday.
Hours later, Rinderknech knocked out former US Open champion Medvedev 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to complete an extraordinary family double.
“I can’t even say it’s a dream because I don’t think even one person in our family dreamt about it,” Rinderknech said about facing his cousin in Sunday’s final.
“It was a dream that came out of nowhere.”
Qualifier Vacherot troubled Djokovic with drop shots and punishing rallies, and the Serbian fourth seed, struggling to turn, took medical timeouts during both sets.
“This is just crazy. … Just to be on the other side of the court [from Djokovic] was an unbelievable experience,” said Vacherot, who became the first player from Monaco to reach an ATP Tour final in the open era.
Djokovic broke Vacherot in the first game of the match, but the 26-year-old immediately broke back and had built a 4-3 lead when the Serbian took his first medical timeout.
Vacherot won the next two games with ease to secure the first set and put Djokovic through a 12-minute battle for the first game of the second set, which the 38-year-old managed to win after saving two break points.
A double fault led to Djokovic losing his serve as Vacherot took a 5-4 lead that tipped the set in his favour.
“Such a pleasure to play at least once against you. Don’t retire,” Vacherot told Djokovic as both players shook hands at the net.
Four-time Shanghai Masters winner Djokovic congratulated Vacherot, who is set to break into the top 50 in the world rankings.
“Going from qualifications, it’s an amazing story. I told him at the net that he’s had an amazing tournament but more so his attitude is very good and his game was amazing as well,” the world number five told reporters.
“So it’s all about him. I wish him all the best in the finals, and the better player won today.”
Vacherot, far left, and Djokovic interact after their semifinal [Jade Gao/AFP]
‘I’m going to fight like crazy’
World number 54 Rinderknech threw caution to the wind after losing the first set to Medvedev, getting an early break and saving five break points in a 12-minute game to go 3-0 up in the second.
Medvedev struggled with the 30-year-old Frenchman’s strong returns, finding the net from the baseline multiple times as Rinderknech won the second set 6-2 as Vacherot watched from the stands.
A decisive break secured the third set for Rinderknech as Medvedev saved the first match point with a 207km/h (129mph) serve down the middle but gave away the second with a double fault.
“I was like, ‘You know what? Maybe I’m going to lose, but I’m going to fight like crazy,’” Rinderknech said.
“‘I’m going to make him tired for tomorrow, and at least I’m going to help [Valentin] to at least try to start the match a little bit ahead physically.’
“Then somehow I got the break and then another one finished the set, and then I was like, ‘You know what? I’m just going to try everything and give it my best,’ and somehow it worked out.”
Rinderknech, right, celebrates with cousin Vacherot after the semifinals [Hector Retamal/AFP]
Who: India vs Australia What: ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 group stage When: Sunday, October 12 at 3pm (09:30 GMT) Where: Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, India How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will have live build-up from 07:00 GMT before our text commentary stream for the action.
India will hope for a quick return to winning ways when they meet defending champions Australia in a blockbuster clash at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 on Sunday.
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Both teams began the tournament as favourites, but Australia hold a definite edge in the match as record seven-time world champions and the only undefeated team after the first three group-stage matches.
Meanwhile, India were handed their first loss of the World Cup when South Africa pulled off a stunning turnaround in a three-wicket win on Thursday.
All 15,087 tickets for the eagerly awaited clash were sold out earlier in the week, indicating huge interest in what is now seen as one of the top rivalries in women’s cricket.
India vs Australia rivalry ‘continues to grow’
Australia’s captain Alyssa Healy admitted the interest in the Australia-India rivalry “continues to grow”, and that Australia will be taking on the “sleeping giant” of women’s cricket.
“They’ve [India] been a sleeping giant in the women’s game for a long period of time,” Healy said on Saturday.
The wicketkeeper-batter highlighted the role of the Women’s Premier League T20 franchise tournament in helping India unearth talent and figure out a style of play that suits them.
While Australia haven’t lost a match in the tournament, they have recovered from wobbly situations to post two wins in their two completed matches.
“You’re going to be put under the pump in unfamiliar conditions, against unfamiliar sides at times,” Healy explained.
“We’re allowed to lose games of cricket and be put under pressure in World Cups, and I really back the depth in our side,” she said when asked to comment on Australia’s batting slump against Pakistan on Wednesday.
“We’re fortunate that it’s been a different person every time that stuck their hand up and said, yep, I’ve got this, I can get us to a total or I can take the wickets to restrict the team.”
Despite their unmatched record in women’s cricket, Healy said India will be “a real threat” playing in their home conditions.
India beat Australia in the semifinal of the Women’s World Cup 2017 in England [File: Rui Vieira/AP]
India not dwelling on loss
India’s all-rounder Sneh Rana believes her team can bounce back quickly after the loss to South Africa, as they don’t dwell on losses and focus on the next challenge instead.
“We regroup, we study the match, plan how to improve, take the positives, and look forward to the next game,” Rana said on the eve of the Australia match.
She termed the Australians “one of the strongest competitors” but was quick to highlight the fact that India have beaten the world champions in the (2017) World Cup as well as their recent bilateral series.
For the hosts, one of the major areas of concern will be the lack of big scores from their top-rated batter Smriti Mandhana.
The left-handed opener has scored a world record 972 runs in women’s one-day internationals (ODIs) in 2025, but her top score in the tournament stands at 23.
In fact, none of India’s top batters feature among the tournament’s top five run-scorers thus far, with wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh in fourth spot with 131 runs.
Rana, however, said the team is not worried about the lack of runs from the top.
“We have some of the best batters in the world, and it’s just a matter of one good knock [before they score big].”
Smriti Mandhana has scored 54 runs in her three innings in the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 [Anupam Nath/AP]
India vs Australia: Head-to-head in ODIs
Despite the relatively low frequency of women’s international matches in past decades, India and Australia have faced each other in 59 ODIs.
Australia dominate the head-to-head count with 48 wins compared with India’s 11.
Form guide: India
The hosts won their first two matches of the World Cup comprehensively before crashing to a loss against South Africa. Their pre-tournament form has been mixed, with a series loss to Australia at home and an away series win against England.
Last five matches (latest result first): L W W L W
Form guide: Australia
Australia have won two of their three matches in the World Cup, with their fixture against Sri Lanka abandoned due to poor weather.
Apart from the one loss against India in September, Australia have not lost an ODI since September 2024.
Last five matches (latest result first): W W W L W
Team news: India
India may want to swap a spinner for a pace bowler, in which case Shree Charani could make way for Renuka Singh Thakur.
