UN chief repeats ceasefire calls to end ‘nightmare’
- UN chief repeats calls for ceasefire to end “this nightmare for the people of Gaza, Israel”.
- Telecommunications gradually being restored to the Gaza Strip after a communications blackout cut the enclave off from the rest of the world.
UN chief warns Gaza growing more desperate ‘by the hour’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned the situation in Gaza is declining rapidly as he repeated desperate appeals for a ceasefire to end the “nightmare” of bloodshed.
“The situation in Gaza is growing more desperate by the hour. I regret that instead of a critically needed humanitarian pause, supported by the international community, Israel has intensified its military operations,” Guterres said on a visit to Nepal’s capital Kathmandu.
“The number of civilians who have been killed and injured is totally unacceptable,” he also said.
“The world is witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe taking place before our eyes,” Guterres added.
War fears batter Lebanon’s struggling economy
Yara Adada, 28, sits at the window of her bakery and coffee shop in Gemmayze, a lively central Beirut neighbourhood known for its bars and restaurants.
Adada is the only one there. Behind her, the counter is filled with pastries, the coffee machine is silent and the chairs and stools are empty. Since the beginning of the conflict between Hamas and Israel, this has been the scene at Adada’s coffee shop and many other businesses as fears grow that the country could be pulled into a war with Israel.
“Yesterday I only made $4. It’s scary,” she said.
