Gaza Mass Casualty Event Highlights Aid Delivery Challenges |
More than one hundred people died and hundreds more were wounded yesterday during the distribution of humanitarian aid in the northern Gaza Strip, Gaza health officials said. Israeli officials said a stampede caused most of the deaths (NYT), while Palestinian officials blamed Israeli gunfire. The event underscores the immense difficulty of delivering humanitarian aid to the region, which is plagued by starvation and disease amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
World leaders voiced alarm and grief (WaPo) after the deadly event, which prompted renewed calls for a cease-fire. U.S. President Joe Biden called it “tragic and alarming” in a call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi yesterday. He also said the incident would complicate ongoing cease-fire negotiations. Several leaders have called for independent investigations of the event.
|
|
|
“As negotiations about a second cease-fire and hostages-for-prisoners swap gain steam, the United States has a crucial opportunity to press Israel to change course and allow a major famine-prevention effort,” Refugees International’s Hardin Lang and Jeremy Konyndyk write for Foreign Affairs. “Famine would not only constitute a humanitarian cataclysm; it would also represent a geopolitical failure that would damage U.S. credibility in the Middle East for years to come.”
“Israel’s bombing campaign and ground invasion has devastated the north, but it has also collapsed Hamas’s governing structure, unleashing anarchy,” the New York Times’ Adam Rasgon writes. “A small number of police officers from the Hamas-run security forces have shown up to work in Gaza City in recent weeks, but they have largely failed to restore law and order, residents said.”
This In Brief by CFR’s Christina Bouri and Diana Roy discusses the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.
|
| |
Supporters Gather for Memorial of Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny |
Large crowds formed (The Guardian) in Moscow today for Navalny’s funeral despite heavy police presence and fear of detention. Navalny died suddenly in Russian prison custody last month and his parents fought to recover his body.
Poland: The European Union said it would start releasing (AP) billions in financial aid to Poland that was frozen for years over concerns of democratic backsliding. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has worked to overturn policies enacted by the previous conservative government since taking office in December.
|
|
|
South Korean Doctors on Strike Defy Arrest Threat |
Tensions between some nine thousand striking doctors and the government extended (Time) into today despite a government order that those who did not return to work yesterday could get their licenses suspended or even be arrested. The doctors oppose (Yonhap) the government’s policies to address a doctor shortage, saying that pay and conditions should improve.
Japan: Prime Minister Kishida Fumio publicly apologized (Nikkei) yesterday for “inviting suspicion and mistrust” in politics and pledged to amend a law regarding political funds. He was speaking at a congressional ethics panel about a scandal that has implicated members of his party.
|
|
|
India Approves Plans for Three Semiconductor Plants |
Yesterday, the government greenlit (Reuters) the construction of the plants worth $15.2 billion as part of a push to bring chipmaking to India for the first time. The move comes as India is looking to become more self-sufficient and rival other major chipmaking countries.
Myanmar: The UN human rights chief appealed (Reuters) to the international community to restrict the Myanmar military government’s access to arms, fuel, and foreign currencies to block its repression of civilians. Neighboring Bangladesh said last month that it would not accept any more refugees from Myanmar. |
|
|
CFR’s Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins discuss Biden’s State of the Union address, the first parliamentary elections in Iran since Mahsa Amini’s death, the anniversary of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s independence, and more. |
| |
|
Middle East and North Africa |
Iran Holds Legislative Elections Amid Calls to Boycott Vote |
Many politicians and activists such as jailed Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi have called (NYT) on Iranians to boycott today’s vote to demonstrate dissatisfaction with the government. This is the first election since the 2022 death of twenty-two-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody for violating the country’s headscarf law that kickstarted nationwide anti-government protests.
For the Women Around the World blog, Joan Johnson-Freese and Kathryn Pilgrim look at the role of women journalists in Iran after Mahsa Amini’s death. |
|
|
Zambia Declares Drought a National Emergency |
President Hakainde Hichilema instructed (AP) security forces to aid with food distribution in regions of the country that have been hit the hardest by the drought’s debilitating effects on food production and electricity generation. The emergency declaration comes as Zambia is still recovering from one of its worst cholera outbreaks.
Chad: Opposition leader Yaya Dillo Djérou was killed (Reuters) in a shootout with security forces on Wednesday in the capital, N’Djamena, a state prosecutor said yesterday. Dillo’s party and government officials gave different accounts of violent incidents that occurred in the capital, and mobile internet access was blocked. The event adds tension to the country’s presidential election set for May and June.
|
|
|
Retired U.S. Diplomat to Plead Guilty for Spying for Cuba |
Victor Manuel Rocha told a judge yesterday that he plans to plead guilty (AP) to charges related to what prosecutors say was decades of spying for Havana while serving in senior positions in the U.S. State Department. He is due back in court on April 12, and could face a lengthy prison sentence.
Canada/Mexico: Canada reimposed (NYT) a visa requirement for Mexican nationals visiting the country amid an increase in asylum applications that has strained Ottawa’s resources. The requirement had been lifted in 2016, and entered back into effect yesterday. This Backgrounder by Amelia Cheathem and CFR’s Diana Roy unpacks Canada’s immigration policy. |
| |
Largest Fire in Texas History Scorches at Least Two Thousand Square Miles |
At least two people have been killed (CNN) in the fire in northern Texas, which spans the same size as the entire state of Delaware and is expected to continue burning into the weekend. Scientists say the kind of dry conditions that exacerbate such fires are becoming more frequent with climate change.
For the Renewing America blog, CFR’s Alice C. Hill and Tess Turner explain how to adapt to wildfires in a warming world.
|
|
|
Council on Foreign Relations |
58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 |
1777 F Street, NW — Washington, DC 20006 |
|
|
|
