Genocide in Gaza
Israel has launched fresh attacks on the Gaza Strip as the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in the besieged Palestinian territory. The latest strikes targeted Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, leaving five dead. Fifteen others were also killed in air raids in other parts of Gaza overnight. The total death toll from the Israeli genocide is now nearing 36,700. Most of those killed are women and children. The regime’s attacks have also caused a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. The United Nations Children’s Fund says nine out of ten children are experiencing severe food poverty. It says food and health systems in the blockaded territory have collapsed due to severe Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid flow.
Pro-Palestine protests
Pro-Palestinian students have held a protest at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, calling for an end to the Gaza genocide and disinvestment from Israel-linked companies. The protest began on Thursday outside the university’s administration building. It later spread to the campus square. Police were called in, firing tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. They entered the administration building where the protesters had barricaded themselves. A non-profit student organization at McGill says the university has shut down the students’ pro-Palestinian demands. The Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights also criticized McGill for continuing to fund and support the Gaza genocide. In recent weeks, students at Western universities, from the US to Europe and Australia, have held anti-Israel protests. They want an immediate stop to any business dealings with Israel.
Sudan violence
The Sudanese foreign ministry says the death toll from a paramilitary attack in al-Jazira state has risen to 180. The ministry announced the updated toll on Friday, two days after the attack in the village of Wad al-Nura, central Sudan. The paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, attacked the village with heavy artillery. The UN chief, Antonio Guterres, condemned the attack. He called on all Sudanese parties to silence their guns and commit to a path towards sustainable peace. Sudan has been hit by violence since April last year. That’s when war broke out between the regular army and the Rapid Support Forces, known as RSF. According to the UN, the conflict has displaced more than 9.2 million people across the northeast African country.