Russia’s ambassador to the United States claimed on Sunday that the U.S. Administration didn’t pass “concrete information” through the Russian Embassy in Washington about possible preparations for the terror attack at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall.
“Nothing was passed,” Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told Russian state news agency TASS while answering a question about whether any information was handed over by the U.S. side before the terrorist act.
He added, “No concrete information, nothing was transferred to us.”
A U.S. State Department official said Saturday that the U.S. government had shared information on a possible attack with Russian authorities in accordance with its longstanding “duty to warn” policy.
That information sharing came ahead of Friday’s deadly attack on a Moscow venue, which Russian investigators said killed at least 137, including three children. Dozens more were injured. The search for bodies under the rubble of the complex continued on Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed Saturday that four suspected gunmen responsible for the attack were arrested near Russia’s western border with Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported.
Seven others have been detained and the search for other accomplices is ongoing, the state news outlets reported.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the deadly attack Friday night, in which gunmen opened fire on concertgoers at one of Moscow’s largest entertainment complexes. The attackers then set the complex on fire.
Antonov described the official Washington reaction to the attack on Friday as “rather muffled,” adding that the administration followed on Saturday with a “clear” statement. But it was unclear how much information Washington officials had passed on prior to the attack, he said.
“The question arises whether U.S. officials passed all the available information to the Russian side, as they state,” the ambassador said.
ABC News’ Shannon K. Crawford contributed to this story.
As Israel continues to indicate plans to launch a ground offensive into Rafah, aid organizations warn that an invasion would be a “bloodbath” for civilians and deepen the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Some 1.4 million Palestinians are believed to be in Rafah, the southern city of Gaza bordering Egypt. More than 1 million Palestinians have fled there to seek shelter during the Israel-Hamas war, according to the United Nations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that a victory against Hamas is “impossible” without the Israel Defense Forces entering Rafah to eliminate the rest of the terrorist group’s battalions.
Netanyahu said he has approved the IDF’s plan to evacuate the civilian population from the “battle zones,” though it’s not clear when or how that would occur. The IDF has said they plan to push civilians toward “humanitarian islands” in the center of the Gaza Strip in advance of an offensive in Rafah.
The U.S. has said it opposes a major operation in Rafah, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying during his Middle East trip last week that it would be a “mistake” and “something we can’t support.”
“A major ground operation there would mean more civilian deaths. It would worsen the humanitarian crisis,” Blinken said during a press conference in Egypt on Thursday. “There is a better way to deal with the threat, the ongoing threat posed by Hamas.”
Blinken has described this week’s planned meetings in Washington between the U.S. as a chance to persuade Israeli officials to take “alternative actions” in Rafah, which an administration official said would consist of more targeted, high-value counterterrorism missions to eliminate Hamas.
Humanitarian groups working in Gaza have also continued to speak out against an incursion in Rafah.
“A military operation in Rafah would be an absolute bloodbath with consequences more devastating than we can imagine,” Deepmala Mahla, the chief humanitarian officer for CARE, an international humanitarian organization that targets global poverty and hunger, told ABC News.
With about two-thirds of the entire population in the Gaza Strip sheltering in Rafah, an offensive would result in a “terrible loss of life,” Mahla said.
“We are basically talking somewhere around 1.5 million people in Rafah — there is no safe way to evacuate them,” she said.
The city’s population includes some 600,000 children, according to UNICEF.
“This is a city of children,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told ABC News. “A military offensive here would be absolutely catastrophic for children. It cannot be allowed to occur.”
Even if civilians were able to evacuate out of Rafah, there is “no safe place” for them to go in Gaza, Mahla said.
Bob Kitchen, the vice president for emergencies for the International Rescue Committee, an organization that aids people affected by humanitarian crises, said the risk of loss of life in a Rafah invasion is “very significant.”
“We’re incredibly fearful of the humanitarian impact and also just the loss of life should a ground offensive happen,” he told ABC News.
The IDF has pushed the population south in the Gaza Strip as the frontline has moved, with a “huge concentration” in Rafah against the Egyptian border, “which is firmly closed,” he said.
“There’s nowhere else for them to run,” Kitchen said.
Israel has designated a safe zone in Al Mawasi, on the southern coast of the Gaza Strip, though that has been “bombed indiscriminately,” Kitchen said.
“There’s no safe place,” he said. “If the offensive moved forward, it will be catastrophically serious.”
With most humanitarian organizations in Gaza working out of Rafah, Mahla said, an incursion there would also bring aid operations in the territory “to a standstill” for a population facing hunger and disease.
“The life-saving work will not happen,” she said. “We will not be able to alleviate suffering and save people.”
Mahla said CARE has been delivering necessities like drinking water, hygiene kits and first aid kits under already challenging circumstances, and that it has been difficult to reach northern Gaza with aid amid the war.
Last week, a report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative found that the entire population of the Gaza Strip, about 2.23 million people, is facing high levels of food insecurity and, in the most likely scenario, an estimated 1.1 million people — half of the population — will be experiencing famine levels of hunger by mid-July.
“The speed at which health and hunger have deteriorated I’ve not seen before,” Kitchen said. “I’ve not seen a population go from being basically food secure to facing now famine in the space of five months.”
Israeli officials have said Hamas steals aid once it enters Gaza and claim looting is also a problem. Israel continues to deny all accusations that it isn’t letting enough aid into Gaza and encourages other countries to send in aid, with Israeli officials saying the U.N., its partners and other aid agencies have created logistical challenges, resulting in a bottleneck. The U.N. disputes these claims.
Access to the Gaza Strip became increasingly limited following Hamas’ surprise terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. More than 1,200 people have been killed in Israel since then, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 74,000 injured over the same period, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
Many humanitarian aid organizations, including CARE, the International Rescue Committee and UNICEF, have called for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza to spare civilian lives and allow for unimpeded humanitarian access.
“The population is just growing more and more vulnerable,” Kitchen said. “A cease-fire is the first thing that’s absolutely needed immediately. And then we also need to just see a change of how aid is allowed in.”
A U.S.-sponsored resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza tied to a release of hostages held by Hamas failed Friday in the United Nations Security Council, with Russia, China and Algeria voting against it.
The U.S. resolution draft emphasized concern that a ground offensive into Rafah “would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement including potentially into neighboring countries.”
The representatives from Russia and China both argued that they saw the resolution as overly supportive of Israel, while Algeria’s representative said the draft resolution failed to adequately address the suffering of the Palestinian people. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., meanwhile claimed that Russia and China could not bring themselves to condemn Hamas for the Oct. 7 attack in Israel.
A day after the resolution failed, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire and said it is time to “truly flood Gaza with lifesaving aid” during a press address on the Egyptian side of the border, not far from Rafah.
“Here from this crossing, we see the heartbreak and heartlessness of it all. A long line of blocked relief trucks on one side of the gates. The long shadow of starvation on the other,” he said Saturday.
“Any further onslaught will make everything worse. Worse for Palestinian civilians. Worse for hostages. And worse for all people of the region,” he added.
ABC News’ Shannon K. Crawford and Sami Zayara contributed to this report.
(MOSCOW) — The death toll in the terror attack at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall has risen to 137 people, including three children, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Sunday, as the search operation continues for bodies under the rubble.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed Saturday that four suspected gunmen responsible for the attack were arrested near Russia’s western border with Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported.
Seven others have been detained and the search for other accomplices is ongoing, the state news outlets reported.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the deadly attack Friday night, in which gunmen opened fire on concertgoers at one of Moscow’s largest entertainment complexes. The attackers then set the complex on fire.
Earlier, Russian media posted unverified photos of a car they said belonged to some of the attackers near Russia’s western border, and a Russian MP said at least two suspects were detained after a car chase and a shootout, though neither of these has been verified or confirmed by Russian authorities.
The death toll as a result of the terrorist attack has increased to 137, Russian investigators said Sunday, adding that three of the victims are children. The search for bodies under the rubble of the complex continues. Authorities said earlier that the toll could rise significantly. The local governor said 121 people remain hospitalized.
Investigators said more than 500 rounds of ammunition and 28 magazines, as well as two Kalashnikov assault rifles, were found at the scene.
Preliminary data shows the causes of death were gunshot wounds and poisoning by smoke products, according to a statement from the Investigative Committee.
“The terrorists used automatic weapons during the attack, which, along with the ammunition they left behind, were discovered and seized by the investigators,” it added.
“The terrorists also used flammable liquid to set fire to the premises of the concert hall, where there were spectators, including the wounded,” the statement said.
Putin spoke out publicly for the first time about the attack on Saturday, promising to exact “retribution” on anyone involved in it.
Putin did not acknowledge the ISIS claim for the attack, saying Russia was still investigating. But he sought to suggest that Ukraine could bear some responsibility, saying the suspected attackers had been detained while trying to cross the border to Ukraine and claiming they may have received some help from there.
“According to the preliminary data, they had a crossing of the border prepared from the Ukrainian side,” Putin said.
Ukrainian officials vehemently denied any involvement and warned that the Kremlin would try to exploit the attack by falsely blaming Ukraine to drum up greater support for its war.
Putin’s comments followed several statements by some leading Kremlin figures directly accusing Ukraine and Western countries of being behind the attack, despite the ISIS claim.
The U.S. said it shared intelligence with Russia that warned that ISIS was preparing similar attacks on concerts in Moscow just two weeks ago. A U.S. State Department official said Saturday that the U.S. government had shared information on a possible attack with Russian authorities in accordance with its longstanding “duty to warn” policy.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a warning on March 7, advising U.S. citizens to avoid large gatherings for 48 hours, saying extremists have “imminent plans” to target large-scale gatherings in Moscow.
“The United States strongly condemns yesterday’s deadly terrorist attack in Moscow,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Saturday. “We send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and all affected by this heinous crime. We condemn terrorism in all its forms and stand in solidarity with the people of Russia in grieving the loss of life from this horrific event.”
Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said the U.S. didn’t pass along any “concrete information” prior to the attack.
“Nothing was passed,” Antonov told Russian state news agency TASS while answering a question about whether any information was handed over by the U.S. side before the terrorist act.
He added, “No concrete information, nothing was transferred to us.”
(MOSCOW) — The head of Russia’s FSB reportedly informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that all four gunmen from the Moscow terror attack at Crocus City Hall were arrested near Russia’s western border with Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported.
Seven others have also been detained and the search for the other accomplices is ongoing, the news outlets reported.
Earlier, Russian media posted unverified photos of a car they said belonged to some of the attackers near Russia’s western border and a Russian MP said at least two suspects were detained after a car chase and a shootout, though neither of these have been verified or confirmed by Russian authorities.
The death toll as a result of the terrorist attack has increased to 133 on Saturday, the Investigative Committee said, adding that the search for bodies under the rubble continues. Authorities earlier said the toll could rise significantly. The local governor said 121 people remain hospitalized.
Of those, 80 still remain in hospitals and 13 are in an extremely serious condition while 25 remain in a serious condition.
Preliminary data show the causes of death were gunshot wounds and poisoning by smoke products, the statement said from the Investigative Committee said.
“The terrorists used automatic weapons during the attack, which, along with the ammunition they left behind, were discovered and seized by the investigators,” it added.
The terrorists also used flammable liquid to set fire to the premises of the concert hall, where there were spectators, including the wounded”, the statement said.
Putin spoke out publicly for the first time about the Moscow concert hall terror attack, promising to exact “retribution” on anyone involved in it.
Putin did not acknowledge the ISIS claim for the attack, saying Russia was still investigating. But he sought to suggest that Ukraine could bear some responsibility, saying the suspected attackers had been detained while trying to cross the border to Ukraine and claiming they may have received some help from there.
“According to the preliminary data, they had a crossing of the border prepared from the Ukrainian side,” Putin said.
Ukrainian officials last night vehemently denied any involvement and warned the Kremlin will try to exploit the attack by falsely blaming Ukraine to drum up greater support for its war.
Putin’s comments followed several by some leading Kremlin figures directly accusing Ukraine and western countries of being behind the attack, despite the ISIS claim.
The U.S. said it shared intelligence with Russia warning that ISIS was preparing similar attacks on concerts in Moscow just two weeks ago.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a warning on March 7, advising U.S. citizens to avoid large gatherings for 48 hours, saying extremists have “imminent plans” to target large-scale gatherings in Moscow.
“The United States strongly condemns yesterday’s deadly terrorist attack in Moscow,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Saturday. “We send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and all affected by this heinous crime. We condemn terrorism in all its forms and stand in solidarity with the people of Russia in grieving the loss of life from this horrific event.”
(MOSCOW, Russia.) — A shooting followed by an explosion were reported at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall — one of the biggest shopping and entertainment complexes in Russia — on Friday evening, according to Russian state media.
Most of the building is engulfed in fire and the roof partially collapsed, Russian news agency Interfax reported. In Podolsk, near Moscow, public events were canceled due to the incident at Crocus City Hall, the head of the district said.
More than 70 ambulance teams were sent to the sight of the attack, the governor of the Moscow region reported.
Several gunmen burst into the concert hall and opened fire with automatic weapons, state news outlet RIA Novosti reported.
Attackers then threw a grenade or incendiary bomb, starting a fire in the hall, according to Russian state media.
No official numbers on deaths or injuries have been released.
The White House is aware of the incident in Moscow but has limited information as of now, according to National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby.
“The images are just horrible. And just hard to watch, and our thoughts, obviously, are going to be with the – the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack,” Kirby said.
Kirby also reiterated the State Department’s warning that all Americans in Moscow should avoid large gatherings, saying “they should stay put where they are, and stay plugged into the State Department for any additional updates and information.”
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow had issued a warning on March 7, advising U.S. citizens to avoid large gatherings for 48 hours, saying extremists have “imminent plans” to target large scale gatherings in Moscow.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
(LONDON) — Kate, the Princess of Wales, was diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, she said in a video message released on Friday.
The type of cancer has not been disclosed. She started chemotherapy in late February and the announcement comes as her father-in-law, King Charles, also undergoes cancer treatment.
“This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” Kate, 42, said in the video, which was filmed at Windsor on Wednesday. “As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.”
The cancer was discovered in post-operative tests after her abdominal surgery in mid-January, Kate said.
Kate described it as a “major abdominal surgery,” and said in her video, “at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous.”
The type of surgery she underwent has not been released.
“The surgery was successful,” Kate said. “However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”
At the time of Kate’s surgery, Kensington Palace said her condition was non-cancerous. The palace has provided little information on her condition since.
“It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok,” Kate said. “As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.”
Kate said having her husband, William, the Prince of Wales, at her “side is a great source of comfort and reassurance.”
“We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery,” Kate said. “I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.”
Kate will return to official duties when she’s cleared by her medical team.
Kate’s father-in-law, King Charles, is also undergoing treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.
The king’s cancer diagnosis — which came after he was treated for benign prostate enlargement — was announced publicly by the palace on Feb. 5.
The type of treatment has not been revealed.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the BBC in February that the king’s cancer was “caught early.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(LONDON) — Russia unleashed a massive aerial attack on Friday in what Ukrainian officials said was the largest and most destructive assault on its energy infrastructure since the start of the war.
Over 150 missiles and drones were involved in the bombardment, striking targets across the Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force, knocking out power to swathes of the country and badly damaging its largest hydroelectric power station. It was the second largest aerial attack on Ukraine since Russia began its invasion two years ago, the air force said.
At least three people were killed in the assault, and 15 others were injured, according to Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office.
Ukraine’s military said air defenses destroyed around 90 of the projectiles but more than a third still managed to get through.
The strikes forced emergency shut downs of electricity in at least seven regions, including Odesa, Dnipro, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia and Kirovohrad, according to Ukraine’s state energy company. Officials in Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, said it was entirely without power following the attacks.
“The morning attack by the Russians on the energy system of Ukraine was the largest ever,” Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the head of Ukrenergo said in a statement.
Kharkiv’s mayor Ihor Terekhov said it was also the largest attack on the city since the start of the war, with at least 20 missiles fired into energy infrastructure, calling the damage “too severe.”
Missiles also hit Ukraine’s largest hydroelectric power station, the Dnipro dam in Zaporizhzhia, setting off a huge fire there and causing critical damage, according to Ukrainian officials.
“We are losing the station,” Ihor Syrota, head of Ukraine’s state hydro-power company, Ukrhydroenergo, told RFE/RL in a live interview, saying that two missiles had struck the power plant.
Ukrainian officials said the structural integrity of the dam itself was not in danger, but local authorities warned people to stock up on water in case of possible shortages.
Friday’s attack involved more than 75 missiles, including seven advanced, hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, according to Ukraine’s air force.
The attack came as Ukraine is suffering increasingly severe shortages of air defense ammunition, amid delays in Western supplies and with more U.S. support blocked in Congress. A day earlier, Russia launched its largest missile attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in months.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday said the attacks showed the cost of the delays in Western support.
Russian drones “don’t have indecision,” Zelensky said in a video address. “It’s important to understand the price of delays and decisions put off. Our partners definitely know what is necessary. They definitely can support. These decisions are needed.”
A new $60 billion military aid package that would include funding for air defense is currently stalled in Congress, blocked by hard right Republicans close to former President Donald Trump. The bill was approved by a bipartisan majority in the Senate in December but Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to put it to a vote.
Russia has largely avoided striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for the past few months, instead focusing on military production targets. But Ukraine increasingly faces a choice of using its limited air defenses to protect large cities and civilian infrastructure or deploy it to the frontline, where Russia is regaining air superiority.
Ukraine has used the advanced handful of Patriot air defense batteries provided by the U.S. and European countries to shield Kyiv, but does not have enough to protect key cities elsewhere.
Ukrainian officials on Friday also defended recent Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s oil industry, following reports that U.S. officials have urged Ukraine to halt them over fears it is driving up oil prices globally.
Ukrainian drones have repeatedly struck major Russian oil refineries in recent weeks, in an apparent campaign to undermine Russia’s income for its energy sector, a crucial source of revenue for the Kremlin.
The Financial Times on Friday reported that U.S. officials have warned officials at Ukraine’s intelligence service the attacks should stop.
But Ukrainian deputy prime minister Olha Stefanishyna told a security forum Friday the strikes were legitimate.
“These are absolutely legal goals from a military point of view. We understand the appeals of American partners. At the same time, we are fighting with the capabilities, resources, and practices that we have today,” she said at the Kyiv Security Forum.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press conference with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) following a meeting between the U.S. top diplomat and Arab envoys, in Cairo on March, 21, 2024. (EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A U.S. effort to ramp up political pressure on Israel by casting an international spotlight on its concerns failed Friday in the United Nations Security Council when Russia, China and Algeria voted against it.
The resolution draft emphasized “concern that a ground offensive into Rafah would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement including potentially into neighboring countries,” and decried humanitarian toll of Israel’s offensive.
However, the draft also linked a cease-fire to the release of hostages held in Gaza — a position supported by Israel and a term that similar resolutions calling for a truce put forth by other nations have failed to include.
“This resolution is an opportunity for the Council to speak with one voice to support the diplomacy happening on the ground and pressure Hamas to accept the deal on the table,” said Nate Evans, a spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the U.N. on Thursday.
As U.S. and Israeli officials publicly sound off over a potential ground incursion into Rafah in southern Gaza, officials in Washington have set the stage for a flurry of diplomatic engagements between the countries — aiming to head off a humanitarian catastrophe and avert a significant divide between the two allies.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel on Friday, but before landing in the country, while visiting Egypt, he underscored the Biden administration’s opposition to a major operation in Rafah, where thousands of Palestinian civilians are sheltering, under any circumstances.
“A major ground operation there would mean more civilian deaths,” he said. “There is a better way to deal with the threat, the ongoing threat posed by Hamas.”
Blinken’s stop in Israel was a late addition to the itinerary for his sixth tour of the Middle East since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group. Throughout the conflict, the U.S. has repeatedly deployed top-ranking envoys to Israel in order to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his hardline government to take measures to protect civilians in Gaza.
However, U.S. officials see a pending summit on their home turf as the best opportunity to persuade Israel to take a different approach with Rafah.
Blinken described next week’s planned meetings in Washington between the U.S. as a chance to convince Israeli officials to take “alternative actions” in Rafah, which an administration official said would consist of more targeted, high-value counterterrorism missions to eliminate Hamas.
“We are determined, as Israelis and indeed as other partners in the region are, to deal the ongoing problem posed by Hamas, a threat to so many,” Blinken said. “Hamas can be effectively dealt with without a major ground operation.”
As recently as last week, Blinken and other administration officials insisted that the U.S. stance on a Rafah incursion would depend on whether Israel could devise what Blinken described as a “clear and implementable plan” to limit civilian suffering.
But the White House’s approach changed abruptly on Monday after President Joe Biden and Netanyahu held their first call in over a month.
According to a readout of the conversation, Biden expressed “deep concerns” about looming Israeli action in Rafah. Just hours later, national security adviser Jake Sullivan announced the administration’s firm opposition, and said that Netanyahu had agreed to send an interagency team to the U.S. for talks on the matter.
In the meantime, Netanyahu has done plenty of talking himself — defiantly rejecting Biden’s demands and vowing to move ahead with the operation in a public address to members of his government, and even meeting virtually with Senate Republicans to discuss the state of the conflict in Gaza.
As the summit looms, U.S. officials have not specified whether Israel will face any repercussions if it charges ahead with battle plans.
(EL ARISH, Egypt) — Those who were too weak to walk boarded the plane in wheelchairs and stretchers. Some had already been receiving treatment in Egypt; others arrived straight from Rafah, the southern Gaza town bordering Egypt.
“I was at the sea, it was meant to be a safe area. We got hit with four rockets and I got injured, and my grandma was martyred,” said 13-year-old Yara, who now is being fed by a tube after being severely wounded in the stomach.
Yara was one of about 100 patients being evacuated aboard an Emirati flight to Abu Dhabi to receive additional care, the 13th mission of its kind. The round-trip flight takes off from Abu Dhabi and flies to El Arish, Egypt, where it collects the wounded.
Medics described the operation as a “flying hospital” — beds were set up at the back of the plane, along with IV drips, ventilators, and defibrillators, and any other equipment doctors might need to take care of patients in-flight.
Priority for evacuations to the United Arab Emirates has been given to kids and adult cancer patients.
A few feet from Yara was 9-year-old Yazan, whose back was pierced by shrapnel. His injury required surgery and several amputations.
“I was playing with my sister, our house was shelled, she was martyred,” said Yazan.
Five-year-old Siraj lost his right leg, both of his parents and two of his siblings in a single strike.
“He wishes to walk again, like the other children,” said his grandmother, Taghred Majdi. “I hope he gets a prosthetic.”
In addition to burn and amputations, doctors on the flight said of the big issues they’ve been seeing lately is malnutrition; kids having lost weight, with iron deficiencies, taking longer to heal because they’re not getting the right nutrients, according to Dr. Jehad Awad, one of the doctors treating Yara, Yazen, and Siraj.
“I find they suffer a lot of malnutrition,” Awad said. ” They’re weak, they didn’t have the right food, the right medication.”
Earlier this week, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned famine in Gaza is “imminent,” with the United Nations saying one in three children under the age of 2 in the northern part of the Strip is already “acutely malnourished.”
“There is no food, no water,” said Yara. “My baby sister, we cannot get her diapers or milk, everything has become very expensive, and that is if we are even able to find it.”
But Yara put on a brave face. Though she still has a long road to recovery ahead, she says she’s hopeful she’ll get better now. She dreams of becoming a reporter someday, “to tell the story of Gaza,” or a pediatrician, to help others like she’s being helped now, she said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press conference with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) following a meeting between the U.S. top diplomat and Arab envoys, in Cairo on March, 21, 2024. (EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — As U.S. and Israeli officials publicly sound off over a potential ground incursion into Rafah in southern Gaza, officials in Washington have set the stage for a flurry of diplomatic engagements between the countries — aiming to head off a humanitarian catastrophe and avert a significant divide between the two allies.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit Israel on Friday, but before landing in the country, while visiting Egypt, he underscored the Biden administration’s opposition to a major operation in Rafah, where thousands of Palestinian civilians are sheltering, under any circumstances.
“A major ground operation there would mean more civilian deaths,” he said. “There is a better way to deal with the threat, the ongoing threat posed by Hamas.”
To ramp up the political pressure on Israel — the Biden administration is casting an international spotlight on its concerns by including them in a draft resolution submitted to the United Nations Security Council — set for a vote on Friday.
According to documents obtained by ABC News, the draft emphasizes “concern that a ground offensive into Rafah would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement including potentially into neighboring countries,” and decries the humanitarian toll of Israel’s offensive.
However, the draft also links a cease-fire to the release of hostages held in Gaza — a position supported by Israel and a term that similar resolutions calling for a truce put forth by other nations have failed to include.
“This resolution is an opportunity for the Council to speak with one voice to support the diplomacy happening on the ground and pressure Hamas to accept the deal on the table,” said Nate Evans, a spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the U.N.
Blinken’s stop in Israel was a late addition to the itinerary for his sixth tour of the Middle East since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group. Throughout the conflict, the U.S. has repeatedly deployed top-ranking envoys to Israel in order to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his hardline government to take measures to protect civilians in Gaza.
However, U.S. officials see a pending summit on their home turf as the best opportunity to persuade Israel to take a different approach with Rafah.
Blinken described next week’s planned meetings in Washington between the U.S. as a chance to convince Israeli officials to take “alternative actions” in Rafah, which an administration official said would consist of more targeted, high-value counterterrorism missions to eliminate Hamas.
“We are determined, as Israelis and indeed as other partners in the region are, to deal the ongoing problem posed by Hamas, a threat to so many,” Blinken said. “Hamas can be effectively dealt with without a major ground operation.”
As recently as last week, Blinken and other administration officials insisted that the U.S. stance on a Rafah incursion would depend on whether Israel could devise what Blinken described as a “clear and implementable plan” to limit civilian suffering.
But the White House’s approach changed abruptly on Monday after President Joe Biden and Netanyahu held their first call in over a month.
According to a readout of the conversation, Biden expressed “deep concerns” about looming Israeli action in Rafah. Just hours later, national security adviser Jake Sullivan announced the administration’s firm opposition, and said that Netanyahu had agreed to send an interagency team to the U.S. for talks on the matter.
In the meantime, Netanyahu has done plenty of talking himself — defiantly rejecting Biden’s demands and vowing to move ahead with the operation in a public address to members of his government, and even meeting virtually with Senate Republicans to discuss the state of the conflict in Gaza.
As the summit looms, U.S. officials have not specified whether Israel will face any repercussions if it charges ahead with battle plans.
