Gaza teacher offers ray of hope with classroom in rubble

Gaza teacher offers ray of hope with classroom in rubble
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Palestinian students attend a class in a tent set up on the rubble of the house of teacher Israa Abu Mustafa, as war disrupts a new school year, in Khan Younis on Sept. 4, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 05 September 2024
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Gaza teacher offers ray of hope with classroom in rubble

Gaza teacher offers ray of hope with classroom in rubble
  • After a four-story building containing her home was demolished by an Israeli air strike, Abu Mustafa set up a classroom on the rubble under a tent
  • Her classes provide a sense of structure and routine in the chaos

GAZA: Gaza’s schools lie in ruins or have been turned into shelters for families displaced by a war that has killed tens of thousands. Yet teacher Israa Abu Mustafa refuses to let death and destruction deprive traumatized children of an education.

After a four-story building containing her home was demolished by an Israeli air strike, Abu Mustafa set up a classroom on the rubble under a tent.

Her impromptu school is one of the few remaining options for children in her neighborhood.

“During the war, we had to fill water gallons and collect sticks for firewood. Then Miss Israa found us and brought us here to continue learning,” said 10-year-old Hala Abu Mustafa.

The project began with 35 pupils and that number gradually increased to 70, ranging from pre-school to sixth graders aged 11-12.

Since the war began on Oct. 7, schools have been bombed or turned into shelters for displaced people, leaving Gaza’s estimated 625,000 school-aged children unable to attend classes.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Education, at least 10,490 school and university students have been killed in the Israeli offensive. More than 500 school teachers and university educators have also been killed.

The conflict erupted when the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 people hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded with the military campaign in Gaza, killing more than 40,861 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

Israel says it goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties and accuses Hamas of using human shields and operating from schools, an allegation the group denies.

Abu Mustafa’s lessons go beyond just a curriculum. Her classes provide a sense of structure and routine in the chaos.

The tent is far from a traditional classroom where children once dreamed of one day studying abroad or becoming doctors and engineers who help the people of Gaza, which was impoverished and suffered from high unemployment long before the war erupted.

“We need chairs and tables so the children can learn properly instead of being forced to write on the ground,” the 29-year-old teacher said.

With limited resources, Abu Mustafa teaches basic lessons including religious studies, trying to keep her students engaged despite the relentless bombardment.

Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank have internationally high literacy levels, and the under-resourced education system was a rare source of hope and pride among Palestinians.

“What could be the child’s wish? They have the right to learn in a safe environment, they have the right to play in safe place, to not feel any fear,” Abu Mustafa said.


China says ‘shocked’ by Israel strike on Gaza hospital

China says ‘shocked’ by Israel strike on Gaza hospital
Updated 58 min ago
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China says ‘shocked’ by Israel strike on Gaza hospital

China says ‘shocked’ by Israel strike on Gaza hospital
  • Foreign ministry spokesman: ‘We are shocked and condemn the fact that medical personnel and journalists have once again unfortunately lost their lives in the conflict’

BEIJING: China said on Tuesday it was “shocked” by an Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital in which five journalists were among at least 20 people killed.

“We are shocked and condemn the fact that medical personnel and journalists have once again unfortunately lost their lives in the conflict,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said when asked about the strikes.

“We express our condolences to the victims and our sympathies to their families.”

Reuters, the Associated Press and Al Jazeera all issued statements mourning their slain contributors, while the Israeli military said it would investigate the incident.

The ongoing war in Gaza has been one of the deadliest for journalists, with around 200 media workers killed over the course of the nearly two-year Israeli assault, according to media watchdogs.

“China is highly concerned about the current situation in the Gaza Strip,” Guo said, adding China condemns “all actions that harm civilians... including acts of violence against journalists.”

“Israel should immediately stop its military operations in Gaza, achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire as soon as possible, fully restore the entry of humanitarian supplies, prevent a larger-scale humanitarian crisis, and work to ease tensions as quickly as possible.”


Sisi meets UAE leader in Egypt’s coastal city of Alamein

Sisi meets UAE leader in Egypt’s coastal city of Alamein
Updated 26 August 2025
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Sisi meets UAE leader in Egypt’s coastal city of Alamein

Sisi meets UAE leader in Egypt’s coastal city of Alamein
  • Sheikh Mohamed was received upon his arrival at El Alamein International Airport by his counterpart Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi

DUBAI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed arrived in Egypt’s coastal city of Alamein on Monday on a fraternal visit, WAM News Agency reported. 

Sheikh Mohamed was received upon his arrival at El Alamein International Airport by his counterpart Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

“The two leaders engaged in cordial conversation, underscoring the deep-rooted and historical relations between the two countries,” WAM added.

El-Sisi affirmed the special standing Sheikh Mohamed holds in the hearts of Egypt and its people, which is an extension of the relationship nurtured by the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed.


Israeli protesters call for hostage deal ahead of cabinet meeting

Israeli protesters call for hostage deal ahead of cabinet meeting
Updated 26 August 2025
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Israeli protesters call for hostage deal ahead of cabinet meeting

Israeli protesters call for hostage deal ahead of cabinet meeting
  • PM Netanyahu last week had ordered immediate talks aimed at securing the release of all remaining captives in Gaza, while also doubling down on the plans for a new offensive to seize Gaza’s largest city

TEL AVIV: Protesters calling for an end to the war in Gaza and the return of hostages being held there took to the streets in Israel early Tuesday morning ahead of a security cabinet meeting scheduled for the evening.

AFP journalists saw protesters blocking roads in Tel Aviv, waving Israeli flags and holding up pictures of the hostages.

Israeli media reported others rallying near a US embassy branch in the city, as well as outside the houses of various ministers across the country.

“There is an offer on the table. We demand that our leaders sit at the negotiation table and not get up until there is an agreement,” said Hagit Chen, whose son was abducted by militants in October 2023, according to a statement released by a forum representing the families of hostages.

The agenda of the security cabinet meeting has not been officially disclosed, but local reports suggest it could be to discuss renewed negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

The cabinet approved in early August a plan for the military to take over Gaza City, triggering fresh fears for the safety of the hostages and a new wave of protests that has seen tens of thousands take to the country’s streets in recent weeks.

Netanyahu last week had ordered immediate talks aimed at securing the release of all remaining captives in Gaza, while also doubling down on the plans for a new offensive to seize Gaza’s largest city.

That came days after Hamas said it had accepted a new ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators that would see the staggered release of hostages over an initial 60-day period in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.


Amnesty urges war crimes probe into Israeli destruction in Lebanon

Amnesty urges war crimes probe into Israeli destruction in Lebanon
Updated 26 August 2025
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Amnesty urges war crimes probe into Israeli destruction in Lebanon

Amnesty urges war crimes probe into Israeli destruction in Lebanon
  • The rights group’s Erika Guevara Rosas said in the statement that the destruction had “rendered entire areas uninhabitable and ruined countless lives”

BEIRUT, Lebanon: Amnesty International said Tuesday that the Israeli army’s extensive destruction of civilian property in south Lebanon, including after a ceasefire with Hezbollah was struck, should be investigated as a war crime.

The November 27 truce largely ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that culminated in two months of open war during which Israel sent in ground troops and conducted a major bombing campaign.

“The Israeli military’s extensive and deliberate destruction of civilian property and agricultural land across southern Lebanon must be investigated as war crimes,” Amnesty said in a statement.

The rights group’s Erika Guevara Rosas said in the statement that the destruction had “rendered entire areas uninhabitable and ruined countless lives.”

Israel has said its military action targeted Hezbollah sites and operatives, and it continues to strike Lebanon despite the ceasefire.

Under the truce, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back from near the border, with the Lebanese army deploying to the south and dismantling the militant group’s infrastructure there.

Israel was to fully withdraw its troops from Lebanon, but it has kept them in several border areas it deems strategic.

Amnesty said it sent Israeli authorities questions in late June about the destruction but had not received a response.

The group said its analysis covered from October 1 of last year — around the start of Israel’s ground offensive — until late January of this year, and showed “more than 10,000 structures were heavily damaged or destroyed during that time.”

It noted that “much of the destruction took place after November 27,” when the truce took effect.

“Israeli forces used manually laid explosives and bulldozers to devastate civilian structures, including homes, mosques, cemeteries, roads, parks and soccer pitches, across 24 municipalities,” it said.

The rights group said it used verified videos, photographs and satellite imagery to investigate the destruction.

“In some videos, soldiers filmed themselves celebrating the destruction by singing and cheering,” it said.

It added much of the destruction was done “in apparent absence of imperative military necessity and in violation” of international humanitarian law.

Amnesty noted that “the previous use of a civilian building by a party to the conflict does not automatically render it a military objective.”

In March, the World Bank put the war’s total economic cost on Lebanon at $14 billion, including $6.8 billion in damage to physical structures.

Authorities in cash-strapped Lebanon have yet to launch reconstruction efforts, and are hoping for international support, particularly from Gulf countries.

 

 


Tunisia rights groups denounce closure of freedom of information agency

Tunisia rights groups denounce closure of freedom of information agency
Updated 25 August 2025
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Tunisia rights groups denounce closure of freedom of information agency

Tunisia rights groups denounce closure of freedom of information agency
  • The journalists union described the measure as “the demolition of one of the fundamental pillars” of Tunisia’s fragile democracy

TUNIS: Tunisian rights groups on Monday condemned the dissolution of an authority that sought to guarantee access to information for citizens and journalists.

The groups denounced as a setback for freedoms the closure of the National Authority for Access to Information (INAI), an independent body established in 2016 in the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprising of 2011, aiming to safeguard rights to access information.

The government told AFP it had shut down the agency earlier this month and reassigned its staff to other government roles.

The National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) said the move was made “in secret” with no major public announcement, criticizing the government’s tighter restrictions on information.

“Access to information is increasingly locked now,” SNJT head Zied Dabbar told AFP.

“We cannot speak of press freedom if there is no access to information,” he added. “From now on, there will only be the official narrative, which will lead to propaganda.”

The journalists union described the measure as “the demolition of one of the fundamental pillars” of Tunisia’s fragile democracy.

President Kais Saied, elected in 2019, has ruled Tunisia by decree since a 2021 power grab, with local and international organizations decrying a decline in freedoms in the North African country.

Many of Saied’s critics are currently behind bars, including dozens of journalists and public figures who have been prosecuted under a 2022 law incriminating “spreading false news.”

“It has become clear that the authorities want to lock all sources of information,” said Romdhane Ben Amor, head of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights. “This is a political choice to break with the constitutional bodies.”

“The space of rights and freedoms is more and more suffocated,” Ben Amor told AFP, warning that other institutions could also face closure.