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Red Cross and Red Crescent express outrage at killing of humanitarian workers

In less than two weeks of war, a Lebanese Red Cross paramedic helping wounded civilians was killed by an Israeli airstrike, and other medics have been wounded, the groups said.

Iranian Red Crescent staff and volunteers also suffered casualties aiding civilians, the groups said. Red Cross and Red Crescent personnel have been killed this year in Sudan and Gaza too.

The heads of the organizations said humanitarian workers are protected under international law and must be safeguarded in conflicts.

“When humanitarian workers are protected, so is our shared humanity,” they said in a joint statement Friday. “The lives of our teams, and those they serve, depend on it.”  — AP

UN warns Strait of Hormuz disruptions could delay aid shipments worldwide

Shipping disruptions would also drive up costs for food, medicine and other lifesaving supplies, said Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. spokesperson.

Citing aid chief Tom Fletcher, the spokesperson said the world body is urging safe passage for humanitarian cargo. Fletcher told the Security Council the disruptions are already affecting Gaza, where flour prices have surged 270%, while global shipping costs are 16% higher than a year ago.  — AP

Israel to operate evacuation flights for stranded Americans

The flights, arranged with the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, aim to help thousands of Americans in Israel whose return flights were canceled due to the war.

El Al, Israel’s flag carrier, says it will begin operating six special non-stop flights at “full capacity” from Tel Aviv to New York starting Monday.

Beginning Sunday morning, the carrier says it will contact U.S. citizens holding valid El Al tickets that were canceled and not yet reassigned. The airline says it understands “the current number of flights provides only a partial solution and does not meet the high demand,” and may add more flights pending government approvals.

The U.S State Department has helped Americans leave the region through charter flights and, from Israel, via overland routes to neighboring countries where commercial flights remain available. It said on Thursday that the vast majority of have made their way back to the U.S. on commercial flights but some were evacuated in roughly 50 charter flights.  — AP

430 Bangladeshis stranded in Qatar return home on a special flight

Embassy staff and passengers who were stuck in transit when the war broke out made it home Friday evening on a Qatar Airways flight, in coordination with the Bangladeshi government.

That’s according to Ragib Samad, executive director at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

The war has forced widespread airspace closures, cancelling 447 flights at Dhaka’s airport. — AP

Lebanon’s president says Israel hasn’t responded to his offer to negotiate

President Joseph Aoun said his proposal calls for Israel to halt its attacks on Hezbollah while international logistics support helps the Lebanese army take control of Hezbollah weapons and depots in the country’s south.

Speaking during a meeting with U.N. chief António Guterres, Aoun called for Israel and Lebanon to begin negotiations.

Israel has said Lebanon’s government isn’t serious about disarming Hezbollah, so the Israeli military must do it instead.  — AP

UN launches a $308 million appeal for Lebanon as Israeli attacks intensify

During a surprise visit to Lebanon, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made the emergency appeal to fund food, water, health care and other aid over the next three months.

In addition to the hundreds of Lebanese civilians killed during the fighting, Guterres said about 850,000 people have been displaced.

“For years, Lebanon has opened its doors to those fleeing conflict,” he said. “Now, the world must show the people of Lebanon our strongest support in this hour of grave danger and profound need.”  — AP

Lebanese prime minister urges end to Israeli strikes and vows to disarm Hezbollah

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam spoke after meeting U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to launch a humanitarian appeal of more than $300 million.

“Lebanon did not choose this war,” Salam said, criticizing Hezbollah’s rocket fire into Israel. “There is no justification in holding an entire nation hostage.”

He said more than 500 Hezbollah military positions and weapons depots in southern Lebanon have been dismantled, pushing back on Israeli claims that Beirut has failed to act against the group.

“These actions are not symbolic gestures,” Salam said.  — AP

With Jerusalem’s holy sites closed, Muslim worshippers pray on streets outside Old City

“Why are people being kept away from praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque?” asked Jerusalem resident Haitham Al-Zaghal. “That is freedom of worship; people should be allowed to pray.”

The Old City contains an area Jews call the Temple Mount — the holiest site in Judaism and home to the ancient biblical temples. Muslims call it the Noble Sanctuary and today it is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.

Holy sites have been closed to worshippers of all faiths throughout the war.

Israeli police have deployed extra forces and the country’s Home Front Command has cited wartime safety concerns as a reason for restrictions, though Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has little shelter infrastructure.

Before the war, Israel tightened limits on Muslims seeking to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Tens of thousands prayed there during the first Fridays of Ramadan this year, with Israel allowing less than 10,000 permits for Palestinians to enter from the occupied West Bank.

Jerusalem-based nonprofit Ir Amim questioned why the restrictions have remained in place as other synagogues and mosques have remained open, saying they “cannot be separated from the long-standing Israeli policy aimed at reducing Palestinian presence” at the holy site.  — AP

Over 100 children have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Lebanese Health Ministry says

That’s according to a toll released Friday by Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

It says a total of 773 people have been killed during the latest conflict. Sixty-two women are among those killed, and over 1,900 people have been wounded, according to the ministry.  — AP

Iraq is caught in the crossfire of the Iran war, with attacks by both sides on its soil

Unlike other Middle Eastern states touched by the war, Iraq hosts both entrenched Iran-aligned forces and significant U.S. interests. As in past upheavals, Iraqis have learned to adapt to daily violence that intrudes on everyday life.

But Iraq’s economy depends overwhelmingly on oil, so the longer the conflict lasts, the greater the risk that economic shocks, political paralysis and friction with Iran‑backed militias will combine to unravel Iraq’s hard‑won relative stability.

The government might not be able to meet its oversized public‑sector payroll as soon as next month, risking widespread unrest, two Iraqi Kurdish officials said.

In the meantime, a parallel conflict to the wider war has escalated between Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups and the U.S. — near-daily drone strikes have targeted American interests across the country, while the U.S. has struck back against militia bases to defend its troops.  — AP