News
Children Among 13 Killed As Israel Strikes Gaza
Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed three Islamic Jihad militant group leaders early Tuesday and left 10 others dead, including several children, according to officials in the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory.
Islamic Jihad vowed to “avenge” the deaths after the pre-dawn raid in which more than 40 Israeli jets hit targets for nearly two hours in the crowded coastal enclave from just after 2:00 am (Monday 2300 GMT).
The Gaza health ministry said four children were among those killed and 20 people were wounded, some of them in serious or critical condition, after the attacks which left buildings ablaze and reduced others to rubble.
Violence also flared later in the occupied West Bank when Israeli forces launched a raid in Nablus that left at least a dozen people suffering bullet wounds, according to Palestinian medics.
The Israeli army said that in its Gaza air strikes it had targeted three leaders of Islamic Jihad, which it considers a terrorist group, as well as its “weapon manufacturing sites”.
Israel “achieved what we wanted to achieve” in the operation, said army spokesman Richard Hecht. Asked about child casualties, he said: “If there were some tragic deaths, we’ll look into it.”
Islamic Jihad confirmed three of its senior members were killed in Gaza.
It named them as Jihad Ghannam, secretary of the Al-Quds Brigades military council, Khalil al-Bahtini, commander of the military wing in northern Gaza, and Tareq Ezzedine, a military leader in the West Bank who operated from Gaza.
AFP photographers saw the body of a man identified as Ghannam in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, and also a boy’s body in the morgue of Gaza City’s Shifa hospital, where mourners had gathered.
Islamic Jihad vowed to retaliate, with spokesman Daoud Shehab warning that “the resistance considers that all cities and settlements in the Zionist (Israeli) depths will be under its fire”.
Hecht said the military was “looking where this thing will develop”, while instructing Israeli residents within 40 kilometres (25 miles) of the Gaza border to stay near bomb shelters until Wednesday evening.
‘Avenge the leaders’
Israel last week traded air strikes on Gaza for rocket fire from the enclave, an exchange sparked by the death in Israeli custody of a Palestinian hunger striker with ties to Islamic Jihad, which ended with an Egypt-brokered truce.
Islamic Jihad charged on Tuesday that Israel had “scorned all the initiatives of mediators” and vowed it would “avenge the leaders” killed in the latest air strikes.
The Israeli military described Ghannan as “one of the most senior members” of Islamic Jihad who had coordinated weapons and money transfers with Hamas.
Bahtini was “responsible for the rocket fire toward Israel in the past month”, Israel said.
And Ezzedine had been planning “multiple attacks against Israeli” civilians in the West Bank, it charged.
He was sentenced to 25 years in prison by Israel for his involvement in suicide attacks in the 2000s, before being freed in a 2011 prisoner exchange and transferred to Gaza, according to the army.
An Islamic Jihad source told AFP that Ezzedine was part of a delegation from the group that had been due to travel to Cairo for a meeting Thursday, which had now been cancelled.
‘Treacherous operation’
The army later Tuesday said its troops had entered Nablus in the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, with residents telling AFP they heard explosions during the raid.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medics treated 145 injuries in Nablus, including a dozen people who were shot with live fire and many more who suffered tear gas inhalation.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement on the Gaza attacks that “assassinating the leadership in a treacherous operation will not bring security to the occupier, but instead greater resistance”.
The militant group’s spokesman, Hazem Qassem, warned that Israel “bears responsibility for the repercussions of this escalation”.
Israel and Gaza militants have fought multiple wars since Hamas took control of the enclave in 2007.
A three-day conflict in Gaza last August left 49 Palestinians and no Israelis dead, with Cairo playing a key role in securing a ceasefire.
Tuesday’s deaths bring to 121 the number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so far this year.
Nineteen Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian have been killed over the same period, according to an AFP count based on official sources from the two sides.
By Nahum Sule, Jalingo
The Taraba State Government, in partnership with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has successfully intercepted eight trafficked children who were en route to the South East and Cameroon.
In a statement to journalists in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, Mrs. Mary Sinjen, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Child Development, revealed that the children had been deceived and transported to various southeastern states in Nigeria.
According to her, the children were trafficked to locations such as Aba, Onitsha, and Imo State under the false pretence that they were orphans.
The interception took place in Gembu, the headquarters of the Sardauna Local Government Area, where it was reported that the traffickers were seeking additional children to abduct.
Mrs. Sinjen affirmed, “Thanks to the prompt response from the Ministry and NAPTIP, eight of the children have been safely returned to Taraba State.
“The primary suspect, Mrs. Patience, along with several of her accomplices, has been apprehended and is currently in custody as legal proceedings commence.
“Search and rescue operations for other trafficked children are ongoing.”
She further emphasised that the state government will not tolerate any unscrupulous individuals who exploit children’s rights for illicit gain.
“This administration is wholly committed to ensuring justice, rehabilitating victims, and enhancing inter-agency collaboration to combat child trafficking,” she stated.
“We urge all residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities, as the welfare and protection of our children is a collective responsibility.”
In the meantime, authorities in Taraba have reiterated the importance of community vigilance and reporting any suspicious activities, stressing that safeguarding children requires a unified effort.
General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, has assured that all security challenges facing the nation will be effectively addressed by the year’s end.
This statement was made during the launch of attack drones and the demonstration of locally produced bombs, developed by a homegrown technology firm.
The event was attended by security specialists and senior government officials, as General Musa showcased the indigenous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to the audience.
Accompanied by Ajao Adewale, the Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, and Caleb Mutfwang, the Governor of Plateau State, General Musa emphasized the ongoing bureaucratic obstacles in acquiring military equipment from abroad.
Governor Mutfwang stressed the urgency for decisive measures against insecurity, calling on leaders to prevent any entity within the nation from possessing military capabilities.
The operational features of the UAVs were also demonstrated, with General Musa expressing satisfaction with this advancement, labeling it a pivotal step in combating insecurity in the country.
A coalition of youth organisations has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to reconsider its wanted tag on socialite, Dr Aisha Sulaiman Achimugu, OFR.
The organisations, Niger Delta Youth Council for Good Governance and Middle Belt Youth Stakeholders’ Initiative said this in a joint press statement they issued on Thursday in Abuja.
According to them, the declaration of Achimugu wanted by the anti-corruption agency came to them as a rude shock.
The joint statement was signed by Comrade Emma Niboro and Ali Ameh for Niger Delta Youth Council for Good Governance and Middle Belt Youth Stakeholders’ Initiative, respectively.
They described Achimugu as a dedicated friend of the youths, who had always shown commitment to the welfare and care of the downtrodden.
According to the youth coalition, “we know the Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, as a man who came with utmost zeal to sanitize the agency. He has already demonstrated this and we are proud of his achievements so far.
“However, we urge him to resist pressure from politicians, which is a plague that has dwarfed EFCC for several years of its existence.
“The commission had hitherto remained a tool for politicians to undue their perceived political foes and this has always rubbed off on the credibility of the agency.
“The case of Achumugu doesn’t appear to be different in any way, as the haste with which she was declared wanted showed there is a hand of Esau and voice of Jacob.
“Our appeal is that the commission should withdraw the wanted tag on her and give her ample time to report to the commission, as she has never been indicted of any offence whether in Nigeria or outside the country.”
While noting that Achimugu is a global figure, they added that they can always vouch for her integrity.
“We know her, she has always been of immense help to the youths and other members of the society.
“Her closeness to certain politicians should not be used as a tool to persecute or harass her,” the youths further stated.