The forgotten minority: The Gaza Strip's ancient and dwindling Christians population

Christians have been living in the Gaza Strip since the dawn of Christianity. Being a minority, they now face the same catastrophe as all other Gaza residents, and even Christian churches and hospitals can become targets for attack.

👉 How many Christians are there in Gaza?

The American women released after two weeks of captivity in the Gaza Strip have no obvious visible physical injuries after being held by Hamas fighters, a UK newspaper reports.

The girl's father, who talked to one of the captives, said that the fighters had treated her well.

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🇮🇱🇵🇸 Latest updates on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict:

▪️The Israel Defense Forces said it struck Hamas sniper and observation posts inside multistory buildings.

▪️The Israeli military has carried out strikes against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.

▪️The Israeli government has confirmed the release of two hostages from captivity in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office reported.

▪️The Palestinian movement Hamas said it was in contact with all mediators to resolve the issue of the detained civilians under the necessary security conditions.

▪️The ongoing war in Gaza must be conducted in accordance with humanitarian law, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said.

▪️During his meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the British Prime Minister promised that London would use all available means to secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas.

▪️Israel's National Security Council (NSC) has raised its travel warning for Israelis in Egypt and Jordan to the highest level, which means that citizens there should leave those countries immediately, the Israeli prime minister's office said.

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🇪🇬Reporters have gathered in anticipation of the peace summit in Cairo, Egypt to start.

More than 30 states and three international organizations have confirmed their participation in the summit concerning the Gaza Strip, which will be held today in Egypt's capital.

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🇺🇸🇨🇳 China’s Foreign Ministry sharply criticized a US report on China’s nuclear capabilities, amidst continued tension between the two major world powers.

The Pentagon’s report, released Thursday, claimed China has 500 operational nuclear weapons in its arsenal, and also speculated that the Asian country is building greater capacity in non-nuclear arms.

“The United States report, like similar reports before it, ignores the facts, is full of prejudice and spreads the theory of the threat posed by China,” added Mao.

Mao also stressed that, unlike the US, China maintains an official “no first use” policy regarding nuclear arms, meaning that China would only use nuclear weapons if another country used them against China.

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🇵🇸 Humanitarian aid has started entering Gaza from Egypt via the Rafah crossing, Arab media reported.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said he was “confident that this delivery will be the start of a sustainable effort to provide essential supplies... to the people of Gaza” and warned that “this first convoy must not be the last.”

The border crossing was closed again after the passage of the trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent, which is responsible for delivering aid from various UN agencies.

Earlier a statement from Hamas’ media office said the relief aid convoy “that is supposed to enter today includes 20 trucks that carry medicine, medical supplies, and a limited amount of food supplies (canned goods).”

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The NATO alliance is preparing its first-ever alliance-wide doctrine for dealing with drones on the battlefield, as the unmanned aerial vehicles continue to proliferate and find new applications in warfare.

According to a senior NATO adviser who spoke with US media this week, the effort has been in the works since the beginning of the year and is based on a 2019 handbook outlining the basics of counter-drone tactics for US forces.

Formally dubbed counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), the doctrine will standardize how armies across the NATO alliance fight drones, which have become essential parts of modern warfighting. Armies today use aerial drones for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, search and rescue, and airstrikes, among other tasks, and are increasingly adopting ground and maritime drones as well.

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❗️The summit on the Palestinian issue started in Cairo with the participation of more than 30 states and a number of international and regional organizations.

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🇮🇱🇵🇸 Israeli security forces have arrested more than 1,000 Palestinians since the conflict began to escalate, the Committee for Palestinian Prisoners reports.

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🇺🇸 US President Joe Biden, when asked by a reporter whether Israel should delay a potential ground invasion of Gaza until more hostages can get out, said “yes”.

However, the White House later explained that Biden did not hear a question:

"The president was far away. He didn't hear the full question. The question sounded like 'Would you like to see more hostages released?' He wasn't commenting on anything else," White House spokesperson Ben LaBolt said.

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❗️Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: We won’t leave, we will remain on our land.

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🇱🇾 The Chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed al-Menfi:

The Security Council has not fulfilled its role in stopping what is happening in the Gaza Strip. We reject the transfer of Gazans to the Sinai Peninsula or anywhere else. Israel continues its intransigence and refuses international solutions that would be enough to stop the violence. We demand an end to military operations against the Gaza Strip and the forced displacement of Palestinians.

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📹🇷🇺 Video: Russian soldiers fight using "Malka" self-propelled artillery systems.

The artillerymen are presented with tasks such as the destruction of Ukrainian artillery batteries, defensive structures, as well as the suppression of command posts, weapons, and military equipment.

Reconnaissance of targets and guidance of artillery is carried out during the day and at night using unmanned aerial vehicles.

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❗️Key points from the world leaders' speeches at the summit on the Middle East settlement:

🇪🇬 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for working on a roadmap to revive the Middle East peace process, noted the need for international protection of the Palestinian people, said the Palestinian problem cannot be resolved without a just solution;

🇧🇭 King of Bahrain: there can be no stability in the Middle East without ensuring the rights of the Palestinian people;

🇰🇼 Crown Prince of Kuwait Mishaal Al Jaber Al Sabah: the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip is the result of the international community's lack of efforts to find a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian problem;

🇯🇴 Jordan's King Abdullah II called for an immediate end to the war in the Gaza Strip and the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the enclave;

🇵🇸 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned against the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip.

🇸🇦 Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia calls on the international community to obligate Israel to respect international law.

🇹🇷 Turkish foreign minister: the Middle Eastern crisis may have global consequences. Turkey calls for a ceasefire.

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☪️🇨🇦Muslims booed Justin Trudeau at a mosque in Toronto.

A video shows the Canadian prime minister being accused of hypocrisy and double standards towards Palestine. The footage shows Trudeau leaving the mosque amid a crowd chanting "Shame!".

"How many more Palestinians have to die for the ceasefire?" Those were the words he was greeted with on the street by demonstrators.

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🇷🇺 Russian air defense systems have shot down a Su-24 aircraft, two Mig-29 aircraft, and a Mi-8 helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force over the past 24 hours, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated. In addition, a Ukrainian Su-24 aircraft was shot down by a Russian fighter plane near Odessa.

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🇵🇸🇮🇱 The death toll in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli strikes has risen to 4,385, with 1,756 of them children, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

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🎙Don't miss out on AfroVerdict's new podcast that digs into the opportunities Africa can explore with Russia's nuclear energy superiority.

🇷🇺🚗 The most mobile transport has appeared in the Special Military Op Zone

The "Alabai" all-terrain vehicle was developed by the F-Motorsport company back in 2016. The car proved itself perfectly. It is passable, fast, reliable, and comfortable. The Russian military can conduct reconnaissance using the Alabai in the most difficult and off-road conditions. In addition, the buggy can be used as an attack vehicle. It can be equipped with a 7.62-mm machine gun and an AGS-30 grenade launcher.

"Alabai" can be used to transport people and evacuate the wounded; up to three people can fit in the buggy. The vehicle's carrying capacity is more than 500 kilograms. “Alabai” is capable of accelerating up to 140 kilometers per hour, even off-road, since the suspension allows you to maintain the controllability of the car. Other advantages of "Alabai" include good stealth and low cost.

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