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“Today I realise how lucky we are as Indians”, Shehla Rashid credits PM Modi for peace and safety in Kashmir after prosecution sanction granted against her

OpIndia Staff
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“Today I realise how lucky we are as Indians”, Shehla Rashid credits PM Modi for peace and safety in Kashmir after prosecution sanction granted against her

On 14th October (Saturday), JNU alumna and Kashmir-based ‘activist’ Shehla Rashid took to X to heap praise on PM Modi, the administration in Jammu and Kashmir along with the Indian Army in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Reacting to the fast-paced developments in the Middle East, she asserted that these developments have made her realise how lucky we are as Indians.  

In her post, she wrote, “Looking at the events in the Middle East, today I realise how lucky we are as Indians. The Indian Army and security forces have sacrificed their everything for our safety. Credit where it’s due.”

She also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, the Indian Army, and the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army for bringing peace to Jammu and Kashmir.

Former JNU alumna Shehla Rashid also noted that peace can’t be ensured without security and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East stamps it further. She added that the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army, along with the brave soldiers of the CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police, have made tremendous sacrifices to ensure long-term peace and security in Kashmir.

Though Shehla Rashid has turned off replies to these tweets, many people have lauded her for speaking the truth about the changed reality of Kashmir particularly after the abrogation of Article 370. 

However, in the past, she had an illustrious career in peddling fake news and spreading anti-India rhetoric in Kashmir. Notably, she has previously served as the former vice-president of the JNU student union and did politics on behalf of AISA, the student organisation of left parties. Back then, she made regular statements against BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, even resorted to fake news peddling on many instances to show a false narrative of Muslims being victimised in Jammu and Kashmir by the ‘oppressive’ Indian Armed forces.   

In one instance, she even went to peddle fake news to implicate the Indian army in a bad light and toed the line of Pakistani propaganda against the security forces which was exposed by the Indian Army. In a series of tweets, Rashid alleged that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is grim and that the armed forces are using excessive force on the Kashmiris. 

It is notable that Shehla Rashid’s change of heart in the matter comes just days after the Delhi LG granted sanction for a case against her over her comments spreading fake news. Supreme Court lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava had filed a criminal complaint against Shehla Rashid for her comments, seeking her arrest for allegedly spreading fake news against the Indian Army and the government. 

The complaint stated that she had prima facie committed an offence of sedition under Section 124-A of IPC. It added that Rashid has further committed offences of ‘promoting enmity between the classes’ under Sections 153, 153-A, 504, and 505 of IPC.

In connection to her baseless tweets against the Indian army, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, VK Saxena on 10th January, this year granted prosecution sanction against Shehla Rashid. It allowed the prosecution to charge her under section 196 of CrPC, 1973, for her tweets against the Indian Army. 

For the last few days, the Former JNUSU Vice President Shehla Rashid has spent time in Kashmir, and post the prosecution sanction against her in connection to the fake news against the Indian Army, she has been retracting some of her earlier stances. For example, she had once approached the Supreme Court against the decision to abrogate Article 370. However, she recently withdrew her petition over this issue. 

Similarly, earlier this year, on the occasion of Independence Day, she responded positively to the news of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Javed’s brother Raees Mattoo hoisting the Indian national flag. Reflecting on that, she had also asserted that the situation has improved in the state followed by recent tweets where she has underscored the changed reality of Kashmir and praised PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for peace and safety in Kashmir.

Watch: Crowd at Ahmedabad stadium chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans as Muhammad Rizwan makes his way to the pavilion

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Crowd at Ahmedabad stadium chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans as Muhammad Rizwan makes his way to the pavilion

As India registered a thumping victory over arch-rivals Pakistan, a video of Indian fans at the Narendra Modi stadium greeting Pakistani wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan with ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans has gone viral on the internet.

In the video, as Rizwan walks through the isle towards the pavilion after getting bowled on a peach of a delivery of Indian ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah, the crowds of Indian supporters lining up the stairway chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans.

It is worth noting that Rizwan had created quite a flutter with his recent tweet, dedicating the victory against Sri Lanka to Gaza residents after the Hamas terror attacks killed more than 1,300 Israelis.

Muhammad Rizwan, who managed to score a century in the match against Sri Lanka, dedicated his country’s win to “brothers and sisters in Gaza.” He also thanked the Indian audience and added, “Extremely grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support throughout.”

However, the cricketer received a lot of flak for interjecting politics into the game. A raft of social media users took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to flay the Pakistani cricketer for using the platform of the World Cup to promote his political and religious ideology.

Notably, Muhammad Rizwan is infamous for fusing politics, religion and sports much like several of his countrymen. He recently caught the attention of many when he started offering Namaz on the cricket field during the second half of the match against the Netherlands while his teammates awaited drinks during the break. He received condemnation for doing the same just in front of Indians.

‘Shaheen Afridi is no Wasim Akram…no need to raise him to high pedestal’: Ravi Shastri slams the hype around Pakistani bowler

OpIndia Staff
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‘Shaheen Afridi is no Wasim Akram…no need to raise him to high pedestal’: Ravi Shastri slams the hype around Pakistani bowler

As the Indian batting line-up, most notably the Indian captain, Rohit Sharma, blunted the famed Pakistani bowling, hitting sixes and boundaries at will, former Indian cricketer and ace commentator Ravi Shastri dismissed unwarranted hype around frontline Pakistan bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi. 

“Shaheen Shah Afridi koi Wasim Akram nahin hai…usko itna upar nahin chadhana chahiye…thik thak bowler hai…vaisa boliye (Shaheen Shah Afridi is no Wasim Akram. He is good with the new ball, but apart from that, there’s nothing special. He’s no big deal. You have to accept the truth),” Shastri said while commentating alongside Irfan Pathan abd Jatin Sapru. 

India coasted to victory in their encounter with arch-rivals Pakistan, extending their unbeaten streak in the World Cups to 8-0. India’s emphatic victory was powered by an impactful all-round bowling performance and imperious batting by captain Rohit Sharma, who hit six sixes in his 86 before getting out on the short mid-wicket. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul finished things off in style, surpassing Pakistan’s 191 in 31st over.

In a one-sided affair, India once again proved to be a better side pulling a convincing victory against a formidable but unpredictable Pakistani side. With this 7-wicket victory, India has improved its net run rate and thrown open the doors of qualification which now seems to be an inevitable outcome.

The next stage is coming, we are ready: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during his first visit to scenes of Hamas onslaught near Gaza border

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The next stage is coming, we are ready: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during his first visit to scenes of Hamas onslaught near Gaza border

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is ready with its fighters in the Gaza Strip at the front line.

“With our fighters in the Gaza Strip, on the front line. We are all ready,” Netanyahu wrote on ‘X’ on Saturday.

Netanyahu on Saturday toured Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Kfar Azza, two of the worst hit Gaza border communities in last week’s Hamas onslaught, his office announced, The Times of Israel reported.

As per a statement, Netanyahu “walked between the ruins of the houses where these terrible massacres took place.”

The prime minister was briefed by the IDF officers there, including the head of the paratrooper battalion.

The visit comes as Netanyahu’s first visit to the scene, more than a week after the attack that saw more than 1,300 Israelis killed, most of them civilians, as waves of Hamas terrorists breached the border.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has said that upon receiving the report of wounded following the infiltration of terrorists in Zikim, the soldiers of Unit 669 were rushed to the field.

“The forces worked to rescue the wounded under fire and mortar fire. Since the beginning of the fighting, Unit 669 rescued about 200 wounded in about 45 rescues,” the IAF wrote on ‘X’.

In the wake of Israel Hamas war in the Gaza Strip which claimed the loss of thousands of lives on both sides including civilians, an agreement has been reached under which Israel will allow foreigners to leave the war-torn Gaza, Times of Israel reported on Saturday.

Egypt, Israel and the United States have agreed to allow foreigners residing in Gaza to pass through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, under which Israel agreed to refrain from striking areas the foreigners would pass through on their way out of the Palestinian territory.

The Israeli publication added that Qatar was involved in the negotiations and the participants received approval from the Palestinian terror groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Moreover, the agreement does not involve anything about the release of hostages being held by Hamas.

A second official at the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing point says they received “instructions” to reopen it on Saturday afternoon for foreigners coming from Gaza.

The first official said negotiations were still underway to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through the crossing point.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Israel has ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians from the northern Gaza Strip.

Additionally, US State Secretary Antony Blinken during his visit to Qatar on Saturday said that they are working on setting humanitarian corridors to save the lives of civilians suffering due to the war.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

PM Modi confirms that India is bidding to host the 2036 Olympics, says no stone will be left unturned to ensure it

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi confirms that India is bidding to host the 2036 Olympics, says no stone will be left unturned to ensure it

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India will leave no stone unturned in the efforts to host the Olympics in 2036. Addressing the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Mumbai, PM Modi said, “India is eager to organise Olympics in the country, there will be no deficiency in the efforts to ensure that Olympics are organised in India in 2036”.

“This is a years old dream of 140 crore Indians, it is their desire, and we want to fulfil this dream with the cooperation of all of you,” the Prime Minister said addressing the IOC members.

This is an important confirmation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India is bidding to host the 2036 Olympics.

The 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session is being held at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai, which was inaugurated by PM Modi. The sessions are scheduled from Sunday (15 October) to Tuesday (17 October), where important decisions regarding the future of Olympic games will be discussed and taken.

India is hosting the IOC session for the second time and after a gap of about 40 years, as the IOC’s 86th session was held in New Delhi in 1983.

Earlier Union sports minister Anurag Thakur had said that India is ready to bid for 2036 Olympics. He had said that a roadmap would be presented before the full members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the IOC session in Mumbai.

Responding to India’s bid, which is yet to be officially submitted, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach had said there is a strong case for India to be awarded the 2036 games. He had said, “there is a strong case for the reasons I am giving and seeing how India is flourishing and developing and how India now is embracing Olympic sports. So, there is great potential for both. India can play a much more important role in the Olympic movement and for the Olympic movement to have such a growth potential as with India. It’s of course very welcome.”

We are brothers and sisters forever. Suit gifted by Modi ji has touched my heart and brought us closer: Mexican Senate President Ana Lilia Rivera

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We are brothers and sisters forever. Suit gifted by Modi ji has touched my heart and brought us closer: Mexican Senate President Ana Lilia Rivera

Mexican Senate President Ana Lilia Rivera has said the suit gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has touched her heart and brought them closer.

“We are brothers and sisters forever. This gift given by Modi ji has touched my heart. It has brought us closer, and it is, a part of me that I’m taking back to Mexico,” the Mexican Senate President said.

Ana Lilia Rivera on Friday tied a Rakhi on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hand at the P20 Summit in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, India-Mexico relations have consistently been friendly, warm and cordial, characterised by mutual understanding and growing bilateral trade and all-round cooperation.

Both countries are large emerging economies, with similar socio-economic development priorities and constraints, and have democratic, secular, and pluralistic systems, as well as convergent worldviews, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The two-day P20 Summit in New Delhi concluded successfully on Saturday, with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla thanking all the dignitaries for their contribution to the success of the event in India.

There were all together four high-level sessions that were held during the P20 Summit — Accelerating SDGs, Sustainable Energy Transition, Women-led Development, and Transformation in People’s Lives through Public Digital Platforms.

On the first day of the summit itself, the joint declaration for the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) was adopted with consensus to engage in parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue in relevant fora as a catalyst for promoting international peace.

The concluding part of the declaration mentioned, that the members reaffirmed their commitment to continue “joint work to make an effective and meaningful parliamentary contribution to the G20 process, as appreciated by the G20 Leaders.”

“I am confident the discussions that were held on SDGs, green energy, women-led development and digital public infrastructure and your valuable views and inputs will further strengthen the G20 process for human-centred development,” Om Birla said in valedictory session.

“The discussions held over the past two days have clearly underlined the importance of the parliamentary dimension of the G20 and have also established how our Parliaments can work together to achieve the collective goals of One Earth, One Family and One Future,” Birla said.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

India extends its unbeaten streak in the World Cups to 8-0 as Rohit Sharma and company steamrolls Pakistan in Ahmedabad

OpIndia Staff
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India extends its unbeaten streak in the World Cups to 8-0 as Rohit Sharma and company steamrolls Pakistan in Ahmedabad

In a one-sided affair, India once again proved to be a better side pulling a convincing victory against a formidable but unpredictable Pakistani side. With this 7-wicket victory, India has improved its net run rate and thrown open the doors of qualification which now seems to be an inevitable outcome. 

Dubbed as the greatest cricketing rivalry, the Pakistani openers after having been asked to bat first made a tentative but solid start. After seeing off the first over by Jasprit Bumrah and getting one boundary, both the Pakistani openers, Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq didn’t let Mohd Siraj settle down and thrashed the balls on either side of the pitch. Without taking any risk or letting the pressure of the big game dawn on them, they scored at a consistent rate of 5 runs per over. 

However, on the last ball of the eight over, World number 2, Siraj drew the first blood when he caught aggressive Shafique right in front of the wickets and compensated his bleeding economy with the wicket. Soon after, India’s first bowling change, Hardik Pandya also chipped and ended a brewing partnership before it could start troubling India. 

Both the senior campaigners, Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan consolidated the innings and made the black soil top appear as a batting-friendly pitch with Pakistan eyeing a high 300 target for India to chase in the mega encounter. But despite hitting the bad and some good balls to gaps and getting boundaries on regular intervals, the Pakistani side never got going and hardly scored above the run-a-ball rate, that is, they hardly breached 6 CRR (current run rate), let alone press foot on the accelerator. 

Even when, both the senior batters were on the pitch and before Babar perished in a cheeky attempt to guide the ball for a single to the third man, the run rate was slightly above 5 as they were around the 150 mark by the start of the 30th over. Afterwards, the Pakistani batting line-up collapsed like a house of cards, an uncanny feature, unpredictability, for which Pakistan is famous. From 155/2 they were bundled out for 191/10 as all Indian bowlers registered two wickets a piece to their name. 

While it is said that sweep and reverse sweep are effective tools to neutralise spin and disarray the spinner, Pakistani batters deployed it in desperation ending up getting knotted in the spin web and throwing away their wickets. Iftikar couldn’t read Kuldeep from his hand and dragged the ball to his wicket, Saud Shakeel got trapped in front of the wicket. 

Other than that, Hasan Ali’s few boundaries after the dismissal of Babar, Pakistani batting looked like a nine-pin ball and no batter breached the double-figure mark. Meanwhile, Rizwan also could not provide stability and himself got dismissed before he could complete his fifty. 

However, once the Indian side saw an opportunity, it relentlessly went after wickets and didn’t let the pressure ease a bit. This included inspired bowling changes by the skipper Rohit Sharma, ring fielders going aggressive to keep the batsmen on strike, and facing more balls.  

Remarkably, low-scoring games have been dicey in the past as they had sent teams either in complacency or in shell, with batters blocking even juicy half-volleys, however, it doesn’t seem to be the case with the Indian innings.

Blistering start

With a clear target in sight, Indian openers started with a positive intent keeping in mind the longer format of this tournament and the importance of net run rate at later stages of the tournament. The positive intent was on display from the very first ball as skipper Rohit Sharma smashed Shaheen Afridi for a boundary picking his red-hot form from where he left it last time. As a batter, the World Cup stage has been a happy hunting ground for Rohit Sharma with 7 centuries in the mega tournaments already before his name. 

Shubman Gill, who returned after being down with dengue made his World Cup debut and looked exuberant matching his skipper. While he was looking in dangerous form, he departed early after scoring a quickfire 16 off 11 balls and lofting the ball in the air for an easy catch for Shadab Khan to pouch.

With India being the hosting nation, the entire Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad rallied along and lifted the spirit with soul-foul chantings.  

The stage was set for Virat Kohli, arguably the best exponent of flawless batting in contemporary times, to chase down the score set by the Pakistani side. The master of the run chase, Kohli first fended off the first ball of Shaheen Afridi to avoid a re-run of Champions trophy kind of mishap. However, he got out on the score of 16 runs playing a drag shot, unlike his usual style. 

By the end of the tenth over, India had accomplished 40% of the target with a brisk pace of 8 runs per over. Despite, Shreyas Iyer not being in the best of form, the senior campaigner Rohit Sharma milked the ballers for boundaries and never let the pressure rise on Iyer. He completed his fifty in just 36 balls, allowing India’s number 4 Iyer time to set himself up and spend some time on the pitch to boast his confidence for upcoming matches. 

As India was cruising toward the target, Pakistani spinners looked like ordinary bowlers and gifted set Indian batters balls with boundaries written all over them. Just like the batting collapse, under pressure, the Pakistani team also displayed another facet that has become a definition trait of their side, dismal fielding. 

When victory and his century were in sight, Rohit Sharma got deceived by a slower ball by Shaheen Afridi and the inspired bowling change gave Pakistan a last reason to rejoice. But by then, skipper Rohit Sharma had taken India to a commanding position from where KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer nudged India to victory with risk-free singles and doubles. Apart from two aerial sixes, Shreyas Iyer kept the ball on the carpet and completed his gritty fifty taking India across the finish line.

Israel-Hamas War: Saudi Arabia calls emergency meeting of the executive committee of OIC to address the conflict

OpIndia Staff
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Israel-Hamas War: Saudi Arabia calls emergency meeting of the executive committee of OIC to address the conflict

As Israel continues hitting Hamas targets in Gaza and preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza City in retaliation for the horrific terror attack on Israel by Hamas on 7 October, an important meeting of the OIC nations has been called. Saudi Arabia has called the meeting of the foreign ministers of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, popularly known as OIC, which is scheduled to be held on 18 October in Jeddah. The official notification was released on 14 October.

The statement read, “At the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which chairs the current session of the Islamic Summit and the Executive Committee of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Organisation’s Executive Committee is convening an urgent open-ended extraordinary meeting at the ministerial level to address the escalating military situation in Gaza and its environs as well as the deteriorating conditions that endanger the lives of civilians and the overall security and stability of the region.”

It further added, “The extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee of the OIC will take place on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at the General Secretariat headquarters in Jeddah Governorate.”

The group of Muslim nations has repeatedly condemned the Jewish state for its retaliation after the gruesome 7 October attack by the Hamas terrorists which ended up in the murder of at least 1300 Israelis including the elderly, women and children and wounding multiple others. The terror outfit also took some hostages which consisted of children.

Around 1900 Palestinians have died and thousands of people have been injured in Israeli strikes. The total number of deaths on both sides is at least 3,200. Israel’s military has ordered the Gaza residents to leave the northern Gaza Strip for the southern region as the country is gearing up for a ground invasion whereas Hamas has told them to remain there. About 400,000 people evacuated southward after the Jewish state ordered a 24-hour evacuation order for the northern portions of the territory, according to the OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) of the United Nations humanitarian organisation.

Furthermore, Palestinians confined in Gaza are dealing with a power outage, a scarcity of food and water and ferocious Israeli bombing while United States President Joe Biden stressed on solving the humanitarian problem presented by the violent confrontation in the Middle East.

Israel will suffer huge earthquake: Longtime Hamas ally Iran warns that conflict may spread to other parts of Middle East if Hezbollah joins the war

OpIndia Staff
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Israel will suffer huge earthquake: Longtime Hamas ally Iran warns that conflict may spread to other parts of Middle East if Hezbollah joins the war

As Israel continues its massive counterattacks on Gaza as a stern response to the destruction the Hamas terrorists have caused on Israeli soil, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has called on Israel to stop its actions in Gaza.

With the Israeli government showing no intention to back out, the foreign minister of Iran, the longtime ally of the Islamist terrorist organisation Hamas, warned that the conflict may spread to other parts of the Middle East if Hezbollah joins the war and that would cause a “huge earthquake” for Israel.

Hossein Amirabdollahian while speaking to the media in Beirut said that the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has considered every potential scenario of conflict and that Israel should stop its attacks on Gaza as soon as possible.

The statement of Iran’s foreign minister came in the backdrop of his meeting with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday. The Iranian minister and Nasrallah, according to the local media Al-Mayadeen, discussed the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamad. Iran, the all-weather ally of Hamas, lauded the Islamist terrorist organisation’s strike on Israel while denying any involvement.

US and other Western powers warn Lebanon-based Hezbollah against escalating the Israel-Hamas war

Hezbollah is a highly trained, well-armed and sophisticated military force that also receives Iranian support, so its entry into the conflict would mark a significant escalation. It may be recalled that on October 11 reports emerged which said that the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah had been cautioned by the United States and its allies against escalating the conflict in Israel.

A message was reportedly sent to Hezbollah to stay out of the conflict through a number of channels, including the Lebanese government and the Hezbollah-allied Speaker of Lebanon’s Parliament, Nabih Berri.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had ordered the deployment of a carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean in large part as a message to Hezbollah and its Iranian backers to refrain from entering the war. President Joe Biden reinforced that message in remarks on Tuesday (October 10) from the White House.

Additionally, on Israel’s request, France has also conveyed to Hezbollah that they must stay out of the war and not escalate further or Israel will respond significantly.

Hezbollah fires anti-tank missiles on Israel, IDF strikes back

The warnings came after the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) took to X earlier on Tuesday, October 10 to inform how an anti-tank missile was launched from Lebanon towards a military post near the community of Arab Al-Aramshe on Monday (October 9).

According to the Israel Defense Forces, 15 rockets were fired at the Western Galilee from Lebanon, activating sirens in a number of villages. The Iron Dome air defence system was able to stop four rockets, and the remaining eight landed in open spaces without inflicting any harm or injuries, according to the IDF.

A senior Israel Defence Forces (IDF) officer and two soldiers were killed during a firefight with terrorists who infiltrated into Israeli territory from southern Lebanon on Monday afternoon, the military confirmed on Tuesday. Five additional Israeli troops were wounded in the attack, according to the IDF.

In response to the rocket attack, Israel launched artillery strikes and shelled two posts belonging to the Hezbollah terror group.

Israel-Hamas War: Australia cancels two scheduled evacuation flights as the crisis deteriorates

OpIndia Staff
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Israel-Hamas War: Australia cancels two scheduled evacuation flights as the crisis deteriorates

Due to mounting concerns about the potential for increased violence in the area, two scheduled flights to evacuate Australians stuck in Israel and Palestine have been cancelled. However, the government of Anthony Albanese claimed it is working on other possibilities to bring the individuals to safety.

A “highly challenging and rapidly changing” situation has forced the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to put off the scheduled repatriation flights for this weekend. “The situation is highly challenging and rapidly changing. Unfortunately, we have been advised our scheduled flights will not depart Israel today. A further flight will not depart as scheduled tomorrow.”

Australia is still helping local residents get home and it will keep them informed about upcoming flights, per the department. Over 200 Australians and their families reportedly made it to London at 9 pm local time (7 am Australian Eastern Daylight Time) on 14 October safely as the first of a scheduled series of repatriation flights took off on 13 October local time.

The two scheduled flights were called off and Australia echoed the Joe Biden administration’s request for Israel to respond to Hamas strikes in accordance with the laws of war and pledged an additional $10 million in humanitarian aid for Gaza’s civilian population.

Prior to an anticipated ground assault of the blockaded strip, thousands of civilians have begun escaping to Gaza’s southern half. According to Qantas Airlines, evacuation flights from Tel Aviv have been halted as a result of advice over the growing threat on the ground.

More than 800 Australians have managed to leave Israel since the start of the war, including on Qantas flights to London, per Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong, who stated on the evening of 14 October, “But I know that there are many more people who are seeking to leave and I can assure you that the government and officials are working as hard as they can to arrange flights and to get flights in.”

She conveyed, “850 previously registered Australians and their families have now left Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories. DFAT is assisting more than 1,500 registered Australians in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Not all of those are looking to leave.”

She proclaimed, “The situation on the ground is obviously very volatile, and it is changing rapidly. I spent a lot of time on the phones today to see if there was any way we could find alternatives, and I understand how distressing this is for people.”

“Qantas has been running constant safety assessments for its planned flights to Tel Aviv in consultation with government agencies. Based on the latest assessments, the difficult decision has been made not to operate the second flight to Tel Aviv on Sunday due to continued deterioration of conditions on the ground in Israel for safety reasons,” a spokesperson for Qantas said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the minister raised alarm about the worsening conditions in Gaza before the government officially announced that the two scheduled flights had been cancelled. The US president, Joe Biden stressed earlier in the day that it was important to “urgently address the humanitarian crisis” in Gaza. He asserted, “We can’t lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas and Hamas’s appalling attacks, and they’re suffering as a result as well.”

She expressed similar fears. Australia’s foreign minister observed, “President Biden has called on Israel to operate by the rules of war in its response to Hamas attacks, we join him and others in that call.” 

She further noted, “We call for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to civilians affected by the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and we call for the establishment of a corridor to enable humanitarian needs to be met. Adherence to international humanitarian law must be prioritised, including the protection of civilians, wherever they live.”

The Australian government is donating $3 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross in order to restore basic services and $7 million via the UN in order to finance emergency services for child safety, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene. The government is going to “continue to monitor and assess the humanitarian situation and stands ready to provide further support,” she added.

Interestingly, in the midst of the violent struggle with Hamas, the US State Department had also established evacuation plans to assist Americans in leaving Israel and asked the ones seeking aid to leave the Jewish state to complete a “crisis intake form” and “sign an agreement to repay the US government prior to departure” as required by the country’s law.

Notably, India has launched ‘Operation Ajay’ to ensure the safe return of Indians stranded in the war-inflicted region. As many as 447 Indian people who ended up stranded in the midst of the fierce Israel-Hamas confrontation have been brought back to India. On 13 October, the inaugural aircraft with 212 Indian passengers touched down in Delhi while the second flight had 235 Indian nationals. Those who returned expressed their gratitude to the Indian government.

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