Gaza, Jan 9 (IANS) The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip exceeded 23,000, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said.
The Ministry said on Monday in a press statement that the Israeli army killed 249 Palestinians and wounded 510 others during the past 24 hours, Xinhua news agency reported.
This brings the total number of deaths to 23,084 and injuries to 58,926 since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, it noted.
With those explosive words, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on Tuesday listing the crisis upon crisis piled upon the world. He listed them: war, conflicts, climate change, hunger, financial crises, challenges of runaway technology developments, hate speech, global divisions and inequalities, and massive human rights violations.
Thousands of mourners lining the streets of London stood by in respectful silence as a procession made up of military members and Queen Elizabeth's family carried her coffin past city landmarks at the end of her official state funeral.
Dr. Fahad Razak, who headed up the recently disbanded group of scientists advising Ontario's government on COVID-19, says coronavirus variants have traditionally cropped up during the fall and winter, leading to a surge in cases and deaths. He says it stands to reason that could happen again this year.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lands later today as part of a Canadian delegation that includes Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and four former prime ministers. Hundreds of thousands of members of the public are expected to travel to London for the funeral, as well as dozens of other world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden.
A stuffed Paddington Bear was also among the tokens that were piling up at the base of trees that line the road to the palace, where thousands of people had gathered to pay their respects as of Friday afternoon. Canadian Peter Crooks, who was in London on vacation with his family, was among the visitors at the scene. He said he was honoured to pay his respects despite the sad occasion.
Since Pakistan government has sent out a global appeal to the international community for extended and immediate relief aid supplies to handle the widespread damages, flood rescue and relief activities, several countries have been extending monetary and relief aids with planes carrying flood relief supplies to coordinate with the government to manage the massive humanitarian crisis.