As the Israel-Hamas war continues, the latest round of cease-fire discussions appears to have reached an impasse.
Meanwhile, after six hostages were found dead in Gaza, protests erupted in Israel. Protesters have lashed out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded the government bring the hostages home.
Funeral held for Turkish-American activist killed in West Bank
A funeral was held Saturday for Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, the American-Turkish woman killed by the Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank last week. The procession took place in the town of Didim, Turkey.
People attend funeral prayers for Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26 year-old Turkish-American activist killed by the Israeli military, outside the central mosque of Didim, Turkey, Sept. 14, 2024,
Khalil Hamra/AP
A relative of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, mourns over her Turkish flag-draped coffin during the funeral ceremony at a cemetery in Didim, in the western Aydin province, Turkey, Sept. 14, 2024.
Murat Kocabas/Reuters
Eygi's coffin was placed in front of the town's main mosque as hundreds of people gathered around it. Her father and husband were behind the imams conducting the funeral prayer.
People carry the Turkish flag-draped coffin of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, during her funeral ceremony in Didim, in the western Aydin province, Turkey, Sept. 14, 2024.
Dilara Senkaya/Reuters
Sep 13, 2024, 12:32 PM EDT
UNRWA says employee killed by the IDF in the West Bank
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said an employee was killed by the Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank, marking the first time a member of its staff has been killed there in 10 years.
"Sufyan Jaber Abed Jawwad was shot and killed on the roof of his home by a sniper during an overnight Israeli military operation in the early morning of 12 September. Sufyan worked as a sanitation labourer in El Far’a Camp and is survived by his wife and five children," UNRWA said in a statement Friday.
"Civilian infrastructure, including water and electricity networks, have been destroyed, with precarious access for communities to basic supplies. UNRWA has been forced to suspend services to refugees because of the unacceptable risk to staff and beneficiaries during these operations," the UNRWA said.
Sep 13, 2024, 11:01 AM EDT
First round of polio vaccination campaign completed in Gaza
The first round of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza was completed Thursday.
Hundreds of thousands of children received dosages, successfully reaching 90% vaccination coverage, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
"Our next challenge will be providing the second dose, needed in the coming weeks," the UNRWA said.
Sep 12, 2024, 4:57 PM EDT
UN secretary-general condemns Israeli airstrikes in Gaza that killed 18 people
In the wake of the deadly Israeli airstrikes that hit a school serving as a shelter in Gaza, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for an investigation into the incident.
In a statement Thursday, Guterres said, "This horrific violence must stop."
The strikes Wednesday on the Nuseirat shelter in the Gaza Strip killed 18 people, including children, women, and six U.N. staff members, according to Guterres.
Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli airstrike on a crowded tent camp housing Palestinians displaced by the war in Muwasi, Gaza Strip, Sept. 10, 2024.
Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
"This incident must be independently and thoroughly investigated to ensure accountability," Guterres said in his statement.
The number of U.N. staff members killed during the Israel-Hamas conflict has risen to 220, Guterres said.
"The continued lack of effective protection for civilians in Gaza is unconscionable," Guterres added. "Civilians and the infrastructure they rely on must be protected and the essential needs of civilians met."
Guterres asked for "all parties to refrain from using schools, shelters or the areas around them for military purposes."
The secretary-general reiterated his call for an "immediate cease-fire" and the "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages."
