Aid groups raise concern about fuel and the death toll gets closer to 7,000

The Up First Newsletter: Israeli Attack on the Gazan Airstrikes after Hamas’s Oct. 7 Attack and Israel’s Imminence of War-Storage

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Israel has bombarded Gaza for more than two weeks following the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7., in which more than 1,400 people were killed. Palestinian officials say more than 6,000 people in Gaza have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called Israel’s strategy a violation of international humanitarian law. Israel says a ground invasion is imminent. But U.S. officials are concerned about the possibility of the war spreading.

The State of the Nation’s Most Disturbed City in the U.S. After Mike Emmer Drops Out, Teen Mental Health Attorney Michael Meta

Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson is the newest nominee for House Speaker. House Republicans initially nominated Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer yesterday. He dropped out hours later after he couldn’t secure the 217 votes needed to win the full House vote expected today at noon.

More than 40 states sued Meta yesterday, accusing it and Facebook of violating consumer protection laws by designing products that harm teen mental health. Meta issued a statement sharing concerns for teen health but hasn’t addressed the substance of the lawsuit.

Tensions are heightening in the U.S. ahead of next year’s presidential election, according to a new survey. The public religion research institute says more than 75% of Americans agree that U.S. democracy is at risk and more than 20% agree that Americans can resort to violence to save the country.

Low levels of serotonin in the blood could predict long COVID symptoms, according to new research. The study traces a possible cause for persistent symptoms like brain fog, memory loss and fatigue all the way from the gut to the brain.

The people around the world are grieving the loss of lives in Israel and Gaza. Martin says there’s no single conversation that can represent the pain accumulated over generations. But she found hope in UCLA Jewish history professor David Myers, who has tried to find a middle ground where Jews and Palestinians on campus could safely stand and grieve together.

The streets of Gaza are devoid of cars. Many of its bakeries are shuttered; meat suppliers have no refrigeration. Doctors perform operations by flashlight.

Although 62 aid trucks have entered Gaza since last weekend carrying much-needed food, water and medical supplies, none have delivered fuel — which Israel has blocked over concerns it could be stolen and used by Hamas.

Aid groups have begun warning about the lack of fuel, saying that the situation has reached a critical point. The agency that helps Palestinians could run out of fuel within a single day, it says.

Touma says U.N. vehicles need fuel in order to deliver aid from the border to Gaza. Fuel is also used to power hospitals, where doctors have warned that people will die if life-saving medical equipment is forced to go out of operation.

Most of Gaza’s bakeries have shut down, including many of those that contract with the World Food Programme. (At least 10 bakeries have been struck and destroyed over the last week, according to the U.N.)

People are exposed to airstrikes daily for those that remain intact and operational. The lack of electricity or fuel for generators has started to affect meat suppliers, too, who cannot refrigerate their products, according to the U.N.

In response to an UNRWA appeal for fuel on the social media site X, the Israel Defense Forces responded with a satellite image of what it described as fuel tanks located in Gaza.

“Only the priorities are different: Hamas prefers to have all the fuel for its war-fighting capabilities, leaving civilians without it, and then international organizations ask for help,” he said. Who are they asking from? Are they asking Hamas, who has access to the fuel and governs the Gaza Strip, or are they blaming Israel?”

The Executive Director of the World Food Programme Cindy McCain did not believe that there would be progress in the negotiations over allowing additional aid into Gaza.

“Nothing’s working. There’s nothing happening. McCain said that both sides were not talking. “They’re not dealing with the issue of people who are going to die. They’re going to die because they don’t have food, water or an ability to support themselves.

“The Israelis should be incredibly careful to be sure that they’re focusing on going after the folks that are propagating this war against Israel. “It’s against their interest when that doesn’t happen,” he added.

The Invasion of Gaza Revisited: A New Window for Hope and Hope Formation in the Context of War. The Case of Abood Okal

The Palestinian agency that produces the death tolls, the Ministry of Health, is nominally operated by the Palestinian Authority, which provides funding and supplies and maintains close contact with hospitals in Gaza. Hamas governs Gaza and likely has close oversight over information Gaza health officials put out. The daily casualty counts are broadly construed to be accurate by humanitarian groups, and have been cited by the State Department.

Gaza’s borders are effectively closed, limiting the ability of aid groups and journalists to access the territory in order to independently verify the numbers.

More than 200 hostages are still being held in Gaza as the conflict nears the end of its third week. U.S. officials and hostages’ families have urged Israeli forces to delay the invasion in order to leave more time for negotiations over their release.

Hundreds of Americans are stuck in Gaza. Massachusetts resident Abood Okal, along with his wife and their 1-year-old son, have been sharing a house in southern Rafah with dozens of others, he told NPR.

The home’s solar panels provide only a couple hours of electricity a day and they sleep on the floor. He said that they ran out of milk for his son.

Okal said they were fortunate that they woke up and lived for another day. It is harder to find hope with everything else going around us.