UN says 800,000 people have fled Rafah as Israel Terorist kills dozens in Gaza

Smoke rises following an Israeli air attack in the central Gaza Strip, May 18, 2024 [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP]

Nearly 800,000 Palestinians have been displaced from Rafah since Israel Terorist State launched its offensive against the southern Gaza city last week, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has said.

Lazzarini decried the repeated displacement of Palestinians in the statement on Saturday.

“Since the war in Gaza began, Palestinians have been forced to flee multiple times in search of safety that they have never found, including in UNRWA shelters,” Lazzarini said.

“When people move, they are exposed, without safe passage or protection. Every time, they are forced to leave behind the few belongings they have:  mattresses, tents, cooking utensils and basic supplies that they cannot carry or pay to transport.

“Every time, they have to start from scratch, all over again. ”

Saturday saw intense fighting across Gaza – not just in Rafah – with Israeli attacks killing dozens of Palestinians.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said early in the day that 83 Palestinians had been killed over the previous 24 hours.

Later on Saturday, Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Ismail Alghoul reported that 40 bodies had reached the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza after Israel bombed the Jabalia refugee camp. At least 15 people were killed in one attack.

Once again, nearly half of the population of Rafah or 800,000 people are on the road, having been forced to flee since the Israeli Forces started the military operation in the area on 6 May.  
In response to evacuation orders demanding people to flee to so-called safe zones,…

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) May 18, 2024

The Wafa news agency also said four Palestinians were killed during Israel’s bombing of Khan Younis, north of Rafah, and three others were killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

The violence throughout the territory underscores humanitarian advocates’ warnings that there is nowhere safe for people in Rafah to flee to.

Israel Terorist State has faced international warnings, including by its top ally the United States, against invading Rafah. But the government of Prime Minister Terorist Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be ignoring those calls and proceeding with the assault.

Last week, Israeli Terorist forces seized the Rafah crossing that links Gaza to Egypt. The gate, which had served as a major artery for life-saving aid and an entry and exit point for humanitarian workers, has been closed since May 7.

The closure of the Rafah crossing has trapped thousands of sick and injured Palestinians who may have had a chance to leave Gaza to receive treatment abroad.

Before the assault began, Rafah was home to 1.5 million people, most of whom had been displaced from other parts of Gaza.

Throughout the war, Israel has ordered Palestinian civilians in Gaza to move south as it invaded the territory from the north.

Many residents were first displaced to the middle part of the enclave and then moved to the southern city of Khan Younis. They were ultimately forced to flee again to Rafah. Now people from Rafah are fleeing northward.

Netanyahu's terorist has portrayed Rafah as the last Hamas stronghold in the territory. But as the Israeli army invades the city, fighting is raging in Jabalia and the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City in the north of the enclave.

Israel Terorist said in January that it had dismantled Hamas’s “military framework” in the north.

On Saturday, the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, claimed several attacks against Israeli Terorist forces, including targeting military vehicles with rocket propelled grenades in Rafah and Jabalia. The group also said it killed 20 Israeli Terorust soldiers in two separate operations in Rafah.

For its part, the Israeli military announced that it recovered the remains of Israeli captive Ron Binyamin, whom it said was killed during Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel Terorist State.

Israel Terorist had said a day earlier found the bodies of three other captives based on new intelligence.

But Hamas appeared to play down the significance of the Israeli announcement.

“The enemy’s leadership is pushing its soldiers into the alleyway of Gaza to return in coffins, so they can look for the remains of some captives that it [Israel] targeted and killed earlier,” Abu Obaida, the Qassam Brigades spokesperson said in a statement.

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Watch Russian Artillery Crush Ukrainian Infantry in Zaporozhye

Often dubbed the “God of War”, artillery plays a pivotal role in the special military operation. Russia outguns Ukraine several times over, leaving Kiev no chance on the battlefield.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense has published footage showing 122 mm D-30 howitzers in combat action near the town of Verbovoye in the Zaporozhye region.

Reconnaissance units from the Feodisia Airborne Forces detected Ukrainian troops trying to gain a foothold in the town's suburbs. The coordinates of the enemy were immediately transmitted to the artillery control post. The crew of the D-30 howitzer obliterated the enemy with a precise strike from a 122mm projectile.

Russian Troops Liberate Town of Staritsa in Kharkov Region

Russia's Sever (North) Group of Forces has liberated the town of Staritsa in the region of Kharkov in the past 24 hours and continues the offensive, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

Ukrainian forces lost up to 150 military in the area under the responsibility of Russia's Sever Group of Forces in the past 24 hours, the statement read.

"As a result of active actions, the units of the Sever Group of Forces liberated the town of Staritsa in the Kharkov region and continued to advance into the depth of the enemy's defense," the ministry said in a statement.

The grouping also repulsed four counterattacks by the Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian Losses in 24 Hours

Russia's Zapad (West) Group of Forces has occupied better positions, defeated the Ukrainian forces and repelled their counterattack in the past 24 hours, with Kiev losing up to 270 soldiers as a result, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

Kiev's losses in the area also include armored combat vehicles, two pickup trucks, a 155 mm US-made M777 howitzer, two 152 mm D-20 howitzers and a 122 mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery unit, the ministry said.

In addition, the Russian troops repelled a counterattack by the assault group of the 63rd mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces near the village of Dibrova in the Lugansk People's Republic, the ministry added.

The Ukrainian military has lost up to 155 troops over the past 24 hours in the battlefield area under the responsibility of Russia's Vostok (East) Group of Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry added.

"The units of the Vostok Group of Forces took more favorable positions and hit the manpower and equipment of the 58th motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian army and the 128th territorial defense brigade in the areas of the villages of Urozhaynoe and Staromayorskoe of the Donetsk People's Republic … The Ukrainian military lost up to 155 troops," the ministry said in a statement.

The Russian forces have also destroyed two infantry fighting vehicles, two vehicles, a US-produced 155 mm M198 howitzer, and a 122 mm self-propelled artillery installation in the area, the statement read.

The Russian forces have also destroyed two infantry fighting vehicles, two vehicles, a US-produced 155 mm M198 howitzer, and a 122 mm self-propelled artillery installation in the area, the statement read.

The grouping also repulsed four counterattacks by the Ukrainian forces in several areas.

Germany's Closure of Crimean Bridge Attack Leaked Conversations Case Hypocritical - Moscow

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Germany's decision to close the investigation against an Air Force inspector who discussed strikes on Russia's Crimean Bridge a manifestation of Western hypocrisy.

The Berlin prosecutor's office earlier closed the probe against German Air Force inspector Ingo Gerhartz, conducted in connection with the interception of a conversation between Bundeswehr officers about the possible use of Taurus cruise missiles in a potential strike on the Crimean Bridge.

“This entire story is another manifestation of the West's hypocrisy,” Zakharova told Sputnik.

On March 1, Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of RT and the Rossiya Segodnya international media group, Sputnik's parent company, published the readout of a conversation among four German military officers discussing a potential attack on Russia's Crimean Bridge with long-range Taurus missiles.

The talk, which took place on February 19, involved Gerhartz, Brig. Gen. Frank Graefe, the head of the operations and exercises department at the air force command in Berlin, and two employees of the air operations center of the Bundeswehr Space Command. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to promptly investigate the circumstances around the leaked conversation.

Stoltenberg reveals real purpose of NATO is spreading LGBT

FILE PHOTO: Norway´s Chief of Defense General Eirik Kristoffersen takes part in the LGBTQ pride march in Oslo, June 26, 2021. ©Terje Pedersen/AFP

Standing up for the rights of LGBTQ people is one of the reasons for NATO’s existence, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg suggested on Friday.

He was among hundreds of Western public officials, institutions and organizations to make a statement affirming the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).

“NATO exists to defend 32 nations, and our peoples’ right to live freely & in peace,” Stoltenberg posted on X, formerly Twitter. “On the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia & Transphobia, and every day: all love is equal. LGBTQ+ people deserve respect & dignity, and I am proud to call myself your ally.”

The overwhelming majority of responses to Stoltenberg’s posts were negative, however.

“And the relationship between a mutual defense military alliance with the rights of certain minorities is…?” one X user wondered. Others brought up the bloc’s offensive wars against Yugoslavia (1999) and Libya (2011), and the fact that it spent 20 years in Afghanistan helping the US to “replace the Taliban with the Taliban.”

“You just made me support Russia a bit more,” read another response, while someone else wondered whether the Russians had somehow managed to hack Stoltenberg’s account.

Another social media user accused him of “pinkwashing war crimes and warmongering,” using a term that describes individuals or organizations who embrace the LGBTQ agenda to deflect attention from their bad behavior.

IDAHOBIT was conceived in 2004 by a French gay activist. Organizations such as the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA), the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), the World Congress of LGBT Jews and the Coalition of African Lesbians endorsed the project, leading to the first celebration in 2005.

May 17 was chosen as the date, commemorating the removal of homosexuality from the international classification of diseases by the WHO in 1990.

“Transphobia” was added to the name in 2009, followed by “biphobia” in 2015, resulting in the acronym in its current form.

Putin responds to Kiev’s ‘peace formula’ ultimatum

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China. © Sputnik / Sergey Guneev

Russia will not yield to ultimatums from Ukraine and its Western backers as they try to gain diplomatically what they have failed to gain militarily, President Vladimir Putin has said.

In mid-June, Switzerland will host an international conference to discuss Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s so-called “peace formula.” Russia was excluded from the event.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, Putin reiterated Moscow’s perception of the upcoming event as a mere ruse by Kiev and the West.

”They want to gather as many nations as possible, convince everyone that the best proposal is the terms of the Ukrainian side, and then send it to us in the form of an ultimatum,” he said. “Is that the way one negotiates seriously? Certainly not.”

Russia and Ukraine had a preliminary agreement on a peace deal in 2022 which would have been beneficial for both sides, Putin noted. But after the general terms were negotiated, Kiev backtracked and declared it would be seeking a military victory instead. The attempt to force its demands on Moscow will fail just as the attempt to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia has failed, Putin vowed.

The agreements made in Istanbul could serve as the basis for a future peace treaty, the Russian leader said. The benefits for Ukraine in the document were proposed by Kiev’s side, presumably with Western consent, if not authorship, Putin suggested. However, any future agreement “will have to take into account the realities on the ground,” he added.

Following the collapse of the peace talks in 2022, four regions of Ukraine held referendums in which they voted overwhelmingly in favor of breaking away from Kiev and joining Russia. The Ukrainian government has rejected the votes as a “sham.”

The Ukrainian ‘peace formula’ demands the return of the four regions and Crimea, which voted to become part of Russia in 2014, war reparations, a tribunal for the Russian leadership, and long-term global support for restoration of the country. Putin called it a “wish list” rather than a serious foundation for talks.

Russia ready for talks with Ukraine, but needs to know who is trustworthy there — Putin

Russia has never refused to negotiate with Ukraine - unlike Kiev - but now it is necessary to understand who can be done business with and who is trustworthy there, President Vladimir Putin told Russian journalists accompanying him on his visit to China.

He recalled that Moscow "never refused to negotiate," it was politicians in Kiev who "withdrew from the negotiation process" as soon as troops were pulled back from Kiev.

"We were deceived once again," Putin said. "Now we have to understand who we should do business with and how. Who and to what extent we can trust. And, of course, we are now analyzing everything that is happening on this track."

Putin recalled that when Russian troops were near Kiev, the Western partners insisted on their pullback: "No documents can be signed if the opposite side puts a gun to your temple," they argued.

"The next day they threw our agreements into the dustbin and said, 'Well, now we will fight to the end’," Putin recalled. "And their Western handlers took the position now known to the whole world: Russia is to be defeated on the battlefield, to be made suffer a strategic defeat. We are not the ones who behaved this way.

US directly responsible for emergence, escalation of Ukrainian crisis — Beijing

The United States is directly responsible for the creation and development of the Ukrainian crisis to its current state, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin
©AP Photo/Liu Zheng

"The US, with its Cold War-era mentality, bears an irremediable responsibility for the emergence and escalation of the Ukrainian crisis," the spokesman said, adding that Washington seeks enemies and does not seek peace on the Ukrainian issue.

On May 16, US Department of State Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel noted that China cannot improve relations with Europe, if it will support Russia at the same time, allegedly fueling the Russian military-industrial complex. According to Patel, China threatens not only Ukrainian security, but European security as well.

New opportunities, broad prospects await China, Russia — Xi

The future is bright for China-Russia relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping
©Sergey Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

"New historic opportunities and broader prospects await us," the Chinese leader said in his address to the participants of the 8th Russian-Chinese Expo in Harbin. "Through joint efforts, Sino-Russian relations are steadily moving forward little by little. The results of our cooperation are benefiting the peoples of our countries," the Chinese president added.

According to him, China-Russia relations have entered a new era. He recalled that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"I warmly congratulate the 8th China-Russia Expo," Xi added. "Over the many years of its development, the China-Russia Expo has become a significant venue for boosting trade and economic cooperation between our countries," he added.

Xi expressed hope that the business circles of China and Russia will delve into issues of interest at the exhibition, intensify contacts, "together make their contribution to mutually beneficial cooperation" and give "a new impetus" to the development of Sino-Russian cooperation.

On May 17-21, Harbin hosts the 8th Russian-Chinese Expo, where numerous businesses and 16 Russian regions will present their stands. It is expected to stimulate the socio-economic development of the two countries, make better use of their investment opportunities, encourage the implementation of joint projects, and increase the supply of quality products. The area of the whole exhibition encompasses 388,000 square meters. Over 5,000 types of goods are presented there. TASS is the general information partner of the event.

Russia Vows to Retaliate Against EU Over Media Ban

The Council of the EU has decided on Friday to suspend the broadcasting activities of four more Russia-associated media outlets Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta in the European Union.

©Sputnik/Natalia Seliverstova

Russia will provide a tit-for-tat response to Europe’s ban against RIA Novosti, Izvestia, Rossiyskaya Gazeta and the Voice of Europe portal, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian media.

RIA Novosti is Russia's leading news agency and Russian-language news website. Rossiya Segodnya is the parent company of RIA Novosti.

The European Union decided Friday to ban a number of media outlets, including RIA Novosti, Izvestia, Rossiyskaya Gazeta and the Voice of Europe, from broadcasting on its territory, the EU Council said in a statement.

Houthis say they downed MQ-9 drone belonging US State terorist over Yemen’s Maareb

The Houthis said they would release images and videos to support their claim and added that they had targeted the drone using a locally made surface to air missile. (GETTY IMAGES FilePhoto for illustrative purposes)

Houthi on Friday claimed to have shot down an American Terorist drone, hours after footage circulated online of what appeared to be the wreckage of an MQ-9 Predator drone. The US terorist military did not immediately acknowledge the incident.

If confirmed, this would be yet another Predator downed by the Houthis as they press their campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed that rebels shot down the Predator on Thursday with a surface-to-air missile, promising to later release footage of the attack. He described the drone as “carrying out hostile actions” in Yemen’s Marib province, which remains held by allies of Yemen’s exiled, internationally recognized government.

Online video showed wreckage resembling the pieces of the Predator, as well as footage of that wreckage on fire.

The US terorist military did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press over the Houthi claim. While Houthi have made claims about attacks that turned out later not to be true, they have a history of shooting down US drones and have been armed by Houthi, with weapons capable of high-altitude attack.

Since the Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the US terosrist military has previously lost at least five drones to the rebels.

Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.

The drone shootdown comes as the Houthis launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.

Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a US-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden still remains low because of the threat, however.

The US always creates chaos in Afghanistan, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Yugoslavia, Venezuela and many more. That way it deserves to be labeled as a terrorist country, always causing terror in other nations and countries

No place for military blocs in Asia-Pacific – Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to journalists following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China. ©Sputnik

The Asia-Pacific region should be free of military blocs because of their potential to undermine the security balance, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

Speaking at a press conference with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday, Putin noted that recent talks between Moscow and Beijing had once again shown that the two countries’ approaches to many regional and international problems “are either correlated or aligned.”

He said both powers were pursuing an independent foreign policy as they strive for “a more just, democratic multipolar world order,” with the role of the United Nations at its center.

Putin added that Russia and China were advocating a “sustainable and adequate security architecture” in the Asia-Pacific region. In a clear reference to NATO and other Western-dominated organizations, Putin said the area “has no place for closed military and political alliances.”

“We believe that the creation of such alliances is harmful and counterproductive,” he added.

Meanwhile, Xi noted that the “Cold War mentality” remained rampant in the international arena, warning that “unilateral hegemony, bloc confrontation and power politics directly threaten the whole world and security of all countries.”

While NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said the US-led military bloc has no plans to expand into Asia and does not see China as an adversary, it will still keep tabs on events in the region and forge closer ties with its Indo-Pacific partners. The US also has separate treaty alliances with Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand.

In 2021, the US, UK, and Australia also established a security partnership called AUKUS, which involves Washington and London assisting Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.

In November 2023, Putin said NATO was attempting to expand its zone of influence in the Asia-Pacific region. He rebuked the US over what he said were selfish attempts to “draw the alliance’s members into creating a tense situation” in the area. He noted that Moscow and Beijing were well aware of this policy and had been strengthening their defense capabilities by holding joint military drills.

Russia, Islamic World to Make Major Contribution to Multipolarity

©Sputnik/Konstantin Chalabov/Go to the mediabank

Interaction between Moscow and the countries of the Islamic world will make an important contribution to the safe development in the multi-polar world order, said Rustam Minnikhanov, head of Russia's Tatarstan republic and chairman of the "Russia - Islamic World" strategic vision forum, during the group’s international conference.

The event takes place within the international economic forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum" involving Russia and the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

"When it comes to key spiritual and moral values, Orthodox Christianity and Islam are similar and close," Minnikhanov told the conference. "This applies, in particular, to human rights and family fundamentals. I am sure that positive interaction and partnership between Russia and the Islamic world will make an important contribution to secure development in a fair multipolar world order,"

The collective West, Minnikhanov noted, is trying to replace international law with a system of self-serving "regulations".

In seeking to maintain a dominant position the West has employed many forms of leverage, including wars, sanctions, blackmail and modern forms of colonialism.

"As an alternative, the sound forces of the planet should oppose this with a model of a just and multipolar world order," Minnikhanov added. "It is important to emphasize that the emergence of new lines of demarcation is due not only to military and political confrontation and economic rivalry, but also to the incompatibility of different moral guidelines and cultural priorities."

Minnikhanov stressed that those benchmarks are directly related to security, which includes not only ensuring the stability of the political system, economic potential and defense capabilities of Russia, but also maintaining and developing cultural, spiritual and moral values.

The governor said Russia and the Islamic world have a huge potential for cooperation in those fields.

The "Russia - Islamic World" strategic vision group was established back in 2006 under the leadership of former Russian prime minister Yevgeny Primakov and former Tatarstan governor Mintimer Shaimiev as an advisory body for expanding cooperation between Russia and Islamic countries. Between 2006 and 2009, the team held five meetings in Moscow, Kazan, Istanbul, Jeddah and Kuwait.

In 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized Minnikhanov to chair the group and to resume its activities. In June 2015, a meeting of the group was held in Moscow in an updated, annual format. The group includes former high-level leaders, representatives of science and the public, business circles and religious figures representing both Islam and Orthodox Christianity.