Israel says its airstrike was targeting militants from the Islamic Jihad operating from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Amidst the fighting, a fresh round of negotiations about a possible truce is underway in Cairo. An Israeli airstrike hit a tent camp inside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital compound in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza on Sunday. Israel's military said it targeted a command center operated by the Islamic Jihad group,  a militant group and ally of Hamas. "The command center and terrorists were struck precisely, intended on minimizing harm to uninvolved civilians in the area of the hospital," the military said. "The Al-Aqsa hospital building was not damaged and its functioning was not affected," it added. Thousands of people have been sheltering in tents in the hospital's courtyard to escape the fighting in Gaza. Reporters have also used the hospital courtyard as a safe place to work. A reporter for the AP news agency based in tents nearby filmed the aftermath of the strike and said people including women and children scattered and cried out. Two people were killed and 15 others wounded in the airstrike. Fighting also reported at other Gaza hospitals On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had "continued to eliminate" militants around the largest hospital, Al-Shifa in Gaza City, with around 200 reported killed after 13 days of fighting. The Red Crescent reported Israeli operations were also ongoing at Al-Amal Hospital, and Hamas reported fighting at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. Israel said hospitals in Gaza are used by Hamas and other militant groups as bases, Hamas and medical staff deny this. The UN World Health Organization warned that Gaza now has just 10 "minimally functioning" hospitals, down from 36 before the war. The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Sunday at least 32,782 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war,  including 77 whose bodies were brought to hospitals over the last 24 hours. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel launched a ground operation in Gaza in the wake of the terror attack by Hamas and other militants in southern Israel on October 7, in which 1,200 people were killed and some 250 hostages taken. Fresh round of talks in Cairo On Sunday, indirect cease-fire talks resumed in Cairo despite the ongoing fighting. Egypt, one of the mediators in the talks, hosted an Israeli delegation for the latest round of negotiations. According to the Reuters news agency, Hamas negotiators were not present at the talks in Cairo as they were waiting to hear what Israel proposed. The warring sides were discussing a six-week suspension of Israel's offensive in return for the proposed release of 40 of 130 hostages still held by Hamas militants in Gaza.

Cox’s Bazar, 7 January2024 – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its humanitarian partners are scrambling to respond to the latest devastating fire that ravaged through Camp 5, one of the 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar that make the largest refugee camp in the world.  Nearly 800 shelters are feared to have been destroyed in the first large fire of 2024, which started around 01:00 in the morning on 7 Januaryand was brought under control by 4 am. Additionally, some 93 shelters were partially damaged, andaround 120facilities, including learning centres, mosques, healthcare centres, latrines and bathing facilities, water points and solar street lights, havealso been destroyed or damaged by the inferno.   So far, there have been no casualties reported yet as a result of the fire. Refugee volunteers were first to respond to the blaze, with community volunteers trained on firefightingsupported by Bangladeshi authorities, UNHCR, IOM, and local firefightersfrom the host community in nearby Ukhiya.  Specialized three-wheeled Mobile Firefighting Units andwater pumps which had been earlier provided by UNHCR were quickly deployed from other camps. Water was also drawn from the water network of WASH partnersas well as nearby streams and ponds to extinguish the fire. Fire corridors,created by removing shelters in the immediate vicinity of the fire during the blaze, ensured the flames did not spread further within the camp.    Refugees displaced by the fire are temporarily taking shelter within the camp’s community centres, including in temporary communal shelters, and are providedwith emergency food assistance including fortified biscuits and hotmeals.  Bangladeshi authorities and humanitarian agencies are on site to assist the people affected in the fire with emergency support, medical and psychologicalfirst aid, and linkingrefugees with other relevant services as required.   In the aftermath of the fire, the Bangladeshi authorities and UNHCR, in coordination with IOM and other UN and NGO partners, as well as refugee volunteers are supporting the Rohingya refugees who lost their shelters and belongings in the devastating blaze during cold weather of the winter season, and assess further needs.  The cause of the fire currently remains unknown, and we are assured by the Government authorities that an investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out.

Myanmar's junta has been accused of launching an attack on a refugee camp in which at least 29 people were killed, according to local media reports. The alleged artillery strike, which hit a refugee camp in the northern state of Kachin late Monday, is one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since the military coup of 2021. "We found 29 dead bodies including children and older people... 56 people were wounded," Colonel Naw Bu of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) told French news agency AFP. Circumstances of attack unclear There were differing reports from local media relating to the nature of the attack. Some reported that warplanes had dropped bombs, while other sources claimed that drones and artillery were used and as such, the circumstances of the attack remain unclear. The KIA said they are investigating the nature of the strike. Local media showed images of the refugee camp where rescue operations appeared to be taking place. Kachin Human Rights Watch said that 13 of the dead were children while 60 people had been injured. The KIA said that 42 people were being treated at a hospital in Kachin state. Trading blame for attack The region has been embroiled in fighting since the  2021 military take over, which resulted in political turmoil.  Rebel groups and ethnic minority militias regularly  clash with junta forces. While the KIA and human rights organizations have accused the junta for the attack, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said the military was "investigating" the reports. The junta has instead accused rebel groups in the area and said the military believes a store of bombs belonging to the rebels in the area caused an explosion. Reacting to the attack on the refugee camp, the United Nations in Myanmar said on Facebook it was deeply concerned by reports of the incident, adding that "civilians should never be a target."

Clashes erupted between members of the Palestinian Fatah group and rival groups which support Islamists. Violence is not uncommon at Ein el-Hilweh, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp. Clashes between residents of Lebanon's largest Palestinian camp near the coastal city of Sidon left at least six people dead amid fighting between the Palestinian Fatah group and rival pro-Islamist groups within the camp, Palestinian officials said Sunday. A Fatah commander and four aides were killed in the clashes. A member of a group sympathetic to hardline Islamists also perished. The killings ignited violence within the camp which lasted for two days and only subsided late on Sunday. Ein el-Hilweh hosts some 50,000 Palestinian refugees. It is notorious for its lawlessness, as is believed to be a refuge for extremists and fugitives. A 1969 Arab Accord prevents the Lebanese army from entering the country's 12 Palestinian refugee camps. That means factions are left to handle security among themselves. What do we know about the clashes? Clashes began on Saturday, after an unknown gunman tried to kill an Islamist militant, shooting dead his companion instead. The attack prompted Islamist militants to shoot and kill the Fatah military general and four of his aides, which the Palestinian presidency described the incident as a  "heinous massacre and terrorist assassination." The violence involved assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and the lobbing of hand grenades. The fighting slowed after a ceasefire was reached in a meeting between rival Palestinian factions. The meeting involved the pro-Iranian, militant Hezbollah group and its Shiite ally, the Amal movement. Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged in a statement "the Palestinian leadership to cooperate with the army to control the security situation and deliver to the Lebanese authorities those who compromise it."

Mr. IWAMA Kiminori, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh, had his second official visit to the camp in Cox's Bazar, where over 960,000 Rohingya Refugees reside. Ambassador IWAMA visited the Composite Bamboo Shelters of UNHCR, the Water Treatment Plant, the Plastic Recycle Plant and the Bamboo Treatment Facility of IOM, an Aggregation Centre of WFP-FAO, a Fecal Sludge Management System of UNICEF-DSK, the Multipurpose Women Centre of UN Women, an E-voucher Outlet and an Integrated Nutrition Centre of WFP, the Primary Health Care of UNFPA, and the Hospital on the Hill of Médecins sans frontiers. He also discussed with refugee volunteers and exchanged views with Mr. Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner. Since the large influx in August 2017, Japan has contributed over 210 million USD to various interventions in Cox's Bazar as well as in Bhasan Char through international organizations and NGOs. These assistances included food assistance, healthcare, WASH, shelter, protection, and gender mainstreaming. Witnessing the ongoing activities in the field, Ambassador IWAMA said, "This is my second visit to the Rohingya camp, and I saw and understood the situation in the camps such as malnutrition, which also affects the health of the refugees. I appreciate the efforts of the Bangladesh government, UN agencies, and NGOs to protect the refugees. Japan will continue to support resolving this issue including funding assistance and cooperation with the government and these agencies”. As the crisis is turning into its sixth year, it is essential to keep the attention of the global community, while multiple emergencies have been taking place in different parts of the world. Japan will continue to work toward the resolution of the Rohingya issue.

A Yoga camp was organised for Amarnath Yatra pilgrims at Jammu Base camp to help them during the yatra. The Yoga sessions are being organised by the Department of Ayush, Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Ramban district administration has set up free medical camps from Nashri to Banihal for Amarnath Yatris along the National Highway 44. As many as 19 medical camps have been set up in Langars (a communal free kitchen), Yatri Niwas and other lodgements, Nodal Officer, Health Dr Opinder Singh told. Facilities like free medicines, ambulance service and testing facilities are available round the clock to the Yatris. Earlier, Additional Director General of Police Jammu Mukesh Singh on Sunday visited Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district and took stock of security at the transit camp in the Banihal area and en-route national highway in the district for the ongoing Amarnath Yatra. The main aim of the visit was to conduct an on-the-spot review of the security arrangements planned by the district administration concerned for the smooth and incident-free conduct of the two-month-long yatra, said an official statement. "During the security review, threadbare discussions were held on various security elements at different places of deployment i.e. Langer security, Lodgment centres security, route deployment, ROP and area domination etc, from Udhampur to Jawhar Tunnel," said the statement. The annual Amarnath Yatra began on July 1 with the first batch of pilgrims starting their journey from Baltal base camp in Jammu Kashmir's Ganderbal to Amarnath Cave. The 62-day pilgrimage will culminate on August 31. The pilgrims will undertake a 12-km journey from the base camp to the holy Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas located at an altitude of about 13,000 feet. The first batch of pilgrims reached Baltal base camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal on Friday for Amarnath Yatra 2023. Baltal, in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district, is one of the twin routes for the annual pilgrimage and the other one is the Pahalgam route in south Kashmir's Anantnag district. 

Ramban district administration has set up free medical camps from Nashri to Banihal for Amarnath Yatris along the National Highway 44. As many as 19 medical camps have been set up in Langars (a communal free kitchen), Yatri Niwas and other lodgements, Nodal Officer, Health Dr Opinder Singh told ANI. Facilities like free medicines, ambulance service and testing facilities are available round the clock to the Yatris. "Free medical facilities are being provided round the clock to the Yatris. Our medical staff is available in every Langer. Serious patients are being referred to the district hospital Ramban," Dr Singh said. Security officers, langar managers, workers and tourists are also being provided free medical facilities, he said. Yatris hailed the administration for making the arrangements. Balvinder Singh, a Yatri from Punjab, said, "The arrangements have been made up to the mark. I had a medical checkup on one of my ears. Medicines are provided free of cost here. I am satisfied with the treatment." Camp Director, Dr Sushant Mahajan said, "Many facilities are being provided to the Yatris. Beds have been set up here for patients, and ECG machines have also been installed. Medicines are being provided free of cost". Vinay Kumar, another Yatri said, "I had a skin cut. It was washed and attended to by a doctor. Besides, I got my sugar test done free of cost. I expressed my gratitude to the doctors". The annual Amarnath Yatra began on July 1 with the first batch of pilgrims starting their journey from Baltal base camp in Jammu Kashmir's Ganderbal to Amarnath Cave. The 62-day pilgrimage will culminate on August 31. 

Bangladesh has strongly condemns the violence and massacre unleashed against Palestinians and killing of 10 Palestinians including children and elderly by the Israeli occupation forces in Jenin refugee camp on  January 26, 2023.   The massacre led to the wounding of dozens and storming of Jenin Hospital as well as the demolition of facilities of the Jenin refugee camp.   Bangladesh expresses deep concern over the repeated violations and disregard of basic civil norms, international human rights laws and international accords by the Israeli forces which has invoked sympathy of millions of oppressed people around the world.    Bangladesh denounces the policies adopted by the Israeli occupation forces and continued attacks on the city of Jerusalem and the Holy sites including the Al-Aqsa Mosque and  urges the international community to take sustained measures to end such kind of violent attacks, and demolition of houses and hindering the medical treatment to the wounded civilians and to end the heinous actions in the occupied territories.   Bangladesh firmly supports the inalienable rights of the people of Palestine for a sovereign and independent homeland and reaffirms its position in favor of establishing an independent state of Palestine on the basis of two-state solution.    Bangladesh also reiterates its position that a lasting solution to the Palestine issue would be possible only with the engagement of both sides in cordial dialogue and calls upon all parties to work towards this end.

Eight environment journalists from Nepal, India and Bangladesh will be part of an expedition to the Everest region to attend a climate change boot camp that will enable nuanced science reporting from the tough and under reported terrain.   The journalists –4 from Nepal and two each from India and Bangladesh – were chosen through a competitive call for application by the Nepal Forum of Science Journalists (NFSJ). The boot camp (from 20 to 28 April, 2022) is being funded by the Spark Grant Initiative of the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ).   The eight journalists –BalikaMaden, Gobinda Prasad Pokharel, Marissa Taylor and SaugatBolakhe from Nepal; ArathiMenon and RaihanaMaqbool from India; and Sohara Mehroze Shachi and Zakir Hossain Chowdhury from Bangladesh – will get a first hand view of climate change and its impacts in the Everest region settlements aroundLukla, Monjo, Khumjung, Namche and Phakding. The bootcamp will be mentored by Indian science journalist SubhraPriyadarshini (Chief Editor, Nature India), Nepali environment journalist/Editor Ramesh Bhushal (The Third Pole) and Climate scientist Dr.SudeepThakuri (Associate Professor/ Dean, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Mid-western University, Surkhet, Nepal).   Science journalist Chhatra Karki, the team lead for the boot camp, says geographical remoteness of the Everest region and lack of resources in newsrooms have hampered field reportage on the impact of climate change in the Himalaya, including in the delicate Everest region. “The boot camp – to our knowledge, the first such – aims to enable journalists in the region to literally scale these heights to bring back untold stories.”   The tough terrain also hinders scientific research in the region resulting in scant primary literature. This meagre yet critical climate science research largely remains buried in technical manuscripts published in science journals due to lack of popular communication on part of the scientific community or journalists’ limited understanding of scientific jargon. “The boot camp will be a great opportunity for the participating journalists to include nuanced evidence in their reportage – both from the field and from the ongoing scientific inquiry in the region,” says Priyadarshini, also the founding president of the Science Journalists Association of India (SJAI).   “This project is very interesting as, while being original, it is coming from a region that is sometimes forgotten when talking about science journalism needs,” says Olivier Dessibourg, chairperson of the Spark Grant Initiative of the WFSJ and president of its jury.   Climate change induced snow melts, glacial lakes outbursts and unseasonal floods, emissions from man-made interventions, and poor energy and water availability affect the lives of people not only in Nepal but also across the Hind Kush Himalayan region spanning   Eight countries. This inaugural boot camp will focus on the three countries in the basin of river Koshi – Nepal, India and Bangladesh.   At the week-long intensive boot camp, journalists willget a chance to talk aboutcommon issues around climate change facing Asia and potentially forge reporting collaborations. The camp will facilitate open interactions among participants, trainers, scientists, academics, NGOs and policy makers to create an experiential learning and critical thinking atmosphere, the results of which will hopefully continue to be seen long after the camp is over. In-depth field reporting from the Everest region will provide better insights to governments and policymakers to formulate evidence-based climate policies.   The Nepal Forum of Science Journalists (NFSJ) is a Kathmandu-based non-profit body of science journalists working in Nepal’s news agencies, newspapers, television and online media. It aims to build capacity of journalists covering science, technology, health, environment, agriculture, astronomy and other related fields in Nepal.   The World Federation of Science Journalists is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization, representing 67 science journalists’ associations and 10,000 individual science and technology journalists from around the world. The WFSJ encourages strong, critical coverage of issues in science and technology, the environment, health and medicine, agriculture, and related fields.   The Spark Grant Initiative (SGI), run under the auspices of the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ), launched and funded by five science journalists’ associations in Europe and the United States, grantedthree projectsfrom South America, Africa and Asia 20,000 US$, the first results of which will be presented at the next World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ), in Medellin, Colombia, in late June 2022. Source: Press release AH

In an effort to render necessary healthcare facilities to villagers residing near the line of control (LoC), the army organised a free medical camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Bhimber Gali sector in Dratti village. People living in the border areas have been facing difficulties in availing of medical facilities due to lack of infrastructure and the one-day camp organised by the Bhimber Gali Brigade of the Indian Army on Saturday came as a relief. People have to travel long distances to get access to healthcare facilities here. Dr. Sabha, who works at a community health centre in Mendhar and volunteered in the medical camp lauded the army for the initiative. She said, "Army has helped a lot of people here. We are here to provide maximum benefit to the people ." Army Major Dr Deepti Mishra told ANI that the camp mainly focused on women and children. "It is mainly for women and children. We have observed that there is a lack of nutrition among these people. For such a basic health check-ups, they have to travel long distances. We will try to organise it more often," she said. The medical professionals also provided medicines to people free of cost. Several senior citizens were also catered to at the medical camp. Source: ANI BM