International
Thousands of Israelis call on Netanyahu to resign over Gaza warp
Thousands of Israelis call on Netanyahu to resign over Gaza war
Thousands of Israelis took to the streets again on Saturday to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing religious government.
This is happening as there is no sign of a let-up in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza almost six months in.
In Tel Aviv, demonstrators called for early elections as well as the release of the remaining hostages held by the Palestinian extremist organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to media reports.
Protests also took place in other cities, including Jerusalem and Haifa.
In Tel Aviv, protesters clashed with police, according to police.
Sixteen people were arrested, according to media reports.
In Jerusalem, hundreds of protesters broke through a barrier near Netanyahu’s official residence.
Opponents of the government are planning major demonstrations in Jerusalem from Sunday onwards, which are to last for several days.
They also plan to demand the resignation of the government.
A former hostage, whose husband is still being held in Gaza, addressed the demonstration in Tel Aviv, calling on Netanyahu to “Bring them home!”
The woman called on the premier to give the Israeli negotiating team a “broad mandate” in talks on an agreement to release the remaining hostages in return for a ceasefire and a release of Palestinian prisoners.
“Don’t come home without a deal, bring our loved ones back,” she said.
The ongoing Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre committed by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
They killed some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took some 250 more hostage.
Israel responded by targeting densely populated Gaza with massive airstrikes and launching a ground operation in the sealed-off coastal area at the end of October.
More than 32,500 Palestinians are said to have been killed as a result so far, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels, due to the very limited amounts of aid reaching the civilian population.
Some 110 hostages were released in exchange for some 400 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as part of a temporary truce agreement brokered by Qatar, the United States, and Egypt in November.
However, efforts to facilitate another ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages have stalled repeatedly.
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, and France on Saturday again called for an immediate ceasefire to ensure an influx of aid into the embattled Gaza Strip.
During talks in Cairo, the ministers discussed the importance of an immediate truce agreement, aid deliveries and the release of hostages kept in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israel, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri told a press conference after the meeting.
Shoukri added that he had also discussed with French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné and their Jordanian counterpart Ayman al-Safadi the risks of a planned Israeli ground offensive in Gaza’s city of Rafah near the Egyptian border.
More than one million Palestinians have taken refuge in Rafah after fleeing fighting elsewhere in the coastal strip, but in spite of mounting warnings from the international community, Israel says it is planning to go ahead with the full-scale incursion.
Séjourné said that France opposes any military action in Rafah.
France’s top diplomat also called for the opening of land crossings to give Gaza access to adequate relief aid and for the “immediate and unconditional” release of hostages held by Hamas.
The Jordanian minister accused Israel of using hunger as a weapon in the war and called for a binding UN Security Council resolution to stop what he called the “starvation crime.”
In an effort to ramp up aid deliveries, a freighter and two smaller ships carrying around 875 tons of aid for the population in the embattled Gaza Strip departed from the Cypriot port of Larnaca on Saturday afternoon, Cypriot radio and the Cyprus Times news portal reported.
The port of Larnaca is around 400 kilometres from Gaza.
In what is the second delivery of this kind, the ships are expected to arrive in around 65 hours, experts estimated on Cypriot radio.
In Gaza, Israeli troops continued their operations, killing a number of fighters in the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Saturday.
Weapons were seized in the operation which has been continuing for almost two weeks at the hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip.
According to the IDF, Hamas has re-established itself in the hospital since Israeli soldiers first cleared the area in November.
Around 200 Hamas fighters have been killed and more than 500 suspects have been arrested in the latest operation, according to the IDF.
Thousands of Israelis call on Netanyahu to resign over Gaza war
India-bound Siblings Arrested with Cocaine at Lagos Airport
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two siblings at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos during a planned travel to India with 5 kilogrammes of cocaine.
The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday said: “Operatives of a Special Operations Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested two brothers: John Abugu, 43, and Kenneth Abugu, 31, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja, Lagos with 5 kilogrammes cocaine concealed in walls of their suitcases while attempting to board a flight to India.”
He said the two brothers were arrested at the Lagos airport last Thursday following proactive processing of credible intelligence. He said they claimed they were travelling to India for medical treatment but when their suitcases were thoroughly searched by NDLEA officers, whitish powdery substances later confirmed to be cocaine were discovered on the walls of their bags.
Babafemi said in a similar development, NDLEA officers of the MMIA Strategic Command same day, Thursday intercepted a 20-year-old Ghanaian – British man, Parker Osei with 36 parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 19.4 kilogrammes packed in a giant travelling bag. The suspect who claims he is a student of Computer Science at East London University, UK, was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand, at the E-arrival hall of the Lagos airport.
In his statement, the techie claims he lives with his parents in the UK but left London about a week ago for Bangkok where he picked up the illicit drug consignment to deliver in Nigeria.
NDLEA operatives in Kogi state have arrested a 33-year-old woman, Ngozi Ogili while moving 3 kilogrammes of methamphetamine from Lagos to Abuja. She was nabbed in a commercial transport bus along Okene-Lokoja highway last Monday. Babafemi said a follow up operation at her point of delivery in Apo mechanic area of Abuja led to the seizure of quantities of Loud and Colorado, both synthetic strains of cannabis.
In Abia state, NDLEA officers on Saturday arrested a 75-year-old grandpa, Nnanna Felix with 1.6 kilogrammes skunk, a strain of cannabis during a raid at Umunteke Asa, Ukwa West local government area, while another suspect David Chinemerem, 21, was nabbed with 2,050 ampoules of pentazocine at 7 Nnajiego Lane, Umuode road, Aba last Tuesday.
No fewer than 381 bottles of codeine syrup and 108 tablets of tramadol were seized from a suspect, Abdullahi Adamu along Potiskum-Damaturu road, Yobe state by NDLEA operatives on Saturday, just as raid operations at Osogbo motor park, Onitsha and a house at Oba in Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra state led to the arrest of Obinna Sunday and the seizure of 195,000 pills of tramadol. Also arrested during the raid at the motor park was Ugochukwu Ojalanonye with 4.2 kilogrammes codeine syrup and 5.4kg pentazocine.
In the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, NDLEA operatives last Thursday arrested 51-year-old Sunday Ayogu with 25 kilogrammes skunk and 90.4 grammes of methamphetamine during a raid operation at Wuse market Abuja, while two women: Faith Etim, 64, and Victoria Etim, 40, were nabbed lasr Friday when NDLEA operatives supported by men of the Nigerian Army raided cannabis plantations in Esuk-Odot community, Odukpani local government area of Cross River State where 250,000 kilogrammes of the psychoactive plant were destroyed on over 100 hectares of farm land.
Babafemi said with the same vigour, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
Meanwhile, while commending the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, Yobe, Abia, Kogi, Anambra, Cross River and FCT commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.
India-bound Siblings Arrested with Cocaine at Lagos Airport
UK Expresses Commitment to Restoration of Peace in Northeast
By: Michael Mike
The United Kingdom has expressed its commitment to the restoration of peace, stability and sustainable solutions to the troubled Northeast region which has been bedeviled by insurgency.
The British Deputy High Commissioner, Gill Atkinson made the commitment on Monday when she paid a courtesy call on Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum in Maiduguri.
Atkinson who commended Zulum for his commitment to fighting insurgency in Borno, said: “On behalf of the British Government, I recognise the effort of His Excellency, the Governor, in tackling insurgency and supporting the people of Borno State, particularly aiming to secure a prosperous future for the people displaced by insurgency.
“I want to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to supporting peace, stability and sustainable solutions, particularly through the ongoing regional stabilisation facility.”
Responding, the Secretary to Borno State Government who received the Deputy High Commissioner on behalf of Governor Zulum, expressed appreciation to the UK Government for their partnership and support.
He said,: “With the UK Government to start with, we have quite a number of very strong partnerships. His Excellency appreciates it, and he specifically instructed me to convey the special message of appreciation.”
The meeting was attended by the Commissioner for Environment, Engr Emet Kois, Education, Engr Lawan Abba Wakilbe, Work and Housing, Engr Mustapha Gubio, Transport and Energy, Aliyu Mohammed Bamanga and Inter-Governmental and Special Duties, Tukur Shani.
Others in attendance include Special Adviser on Security to the Governor, Abdullahi Ishaq, the Senior Technical Assistant, Political, to the Governor, Alhaji Tahiru Shettima, Permanent Secretary of political and cabinet, Danjuma Ali, and the Executive Secretary of Borno State Agency for Coordination of Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Response (BOACSDHR), Babakura Mamman Gadai.
UK Expresses Commitment to Restoration of Peace in Northeast
Troops Foil Bandit Attack in Dabai Town, Kebbi
By: Zagazola Makama
A swift response by the Nigerian troops in Kebbi has foiled a bandit attack on Dabai Town, forcing the assailants to flee after a gun battle with security operatives.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack occurred around 2 a.m. when suspected bandits attempted to invade the town.
“Security forces were immediately dispatched to intercept the assailants and engaged them in a fierce exchange of gunfire,” the source said. “Overwhelmed by superior firepower, the bandits abandoned their mission and escaped.”
While no casualties were reported, security operatives have intensified patrols in the area to prevent further attacks.
Troops Foil Bandit Attack in Dabai Town, Kebbi
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