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Dozens killed as Israeli strikes continue ahead of Gaza ceasefire
Israeli air strikes are continuing in Gaza ahead of the ceasefire agreement and hostage deal with Hamas, which comes into effect on Sunday, subject to the Israeli cabinet’s approval.
The strikes killed 73 people overnight, following the announcement of the deal, Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency reported.
Victims include 12 people who were living in a residential block in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, the health ministry said.
The Israeli Defence Forces initially said “a fallen projectile” had been identified in southern Israel on Thursday, but later said it had been wrongly identified.
Israel has previously launched air strikes in the run-up to ceasefire arrangements taking effect, most recently in Lebanon, where heavy bombing hit the capital, Beirut, just hours before the ceasefire there in November.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to ratify the Gaza ceasefire agreement in parliament on Thursday, but his office alleges Hamas has “reneged” on parts of the agreement, prompting a “last-minute crisis”.
It adds the cabinet will not convene until Hamas has accepted “all elements of the agreement”.
A senior Hamas official told the BBC that his movement was committed to the agreement announced by the mediators and that the head of its delegation, Khalil al-Hayya, had officially informed Qatar and Egypt of its approval of all the terms of the agreement.
Two hardline right-wing ministers, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have long threatened to quit the government coalition if the ceasefire goes ahead.
That could prompt fresh elections in Israel, but their resignations will not block the deal if Netanyahu wants it to happen, observers say.
The prime minister of Qatar – which mediated negotiations – has called for “calm” on both sides before the start of the first six-week phase of the ceasefire deal.
This will see 33 hostages – including women, children and elderly people – exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Israeli forces will also withdraw to the east, away from densely populated areas of Gaza.
Displaced Palestinians will be allowed to begin returning to their homes and hundreds of aid lorries will finally be allowed into the territory each day.
Negotiations for the second phase – which should see the remaining hostages released, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and a return to “sustainable calm” – will start on the 16th day.
The third and final stage will involve the return of any remaining hostages’ bodies and the reconstruction of Gaza – something which could take years.
Achim Steiner from the United Nations Development Programme told the BBC’s Newsday programme that the reconstruction of Gaza would be a huge challenge, given the massive destruction inflicted by the war.
He said 40 million tons of “toxic” rubble needed to be removed before Gazans could return to where their houses used to be.
“This is a very complex undertaking that we are now confronted with,” he said.
Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas – which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and others – in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Most of the 2.3 million population has also been displaced, there is widespread destruction and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter, while aid agencies struggle to get help to those in need.
Israel says 94 of the hostages are still being held by Hamas, 34 of whom are presumed dead. In addition, there are four Israelis who were abducted before the war, two of whom are dead.
[BBC]
Sonal Dinusha was fighting a lone battle unbeaten on 85 as play came to a close on day three, Sri Lanka still 238 runs behind India’s 503 for 9 declared, with just two wickets in hand. At the crease alongside him was Lahiru Kumara, who had done well to hold his own during a 50-ball vigil for eight runs.
Dinusha’s fifty was his third such score in this series as he showcased the resolve that had been sorely lacking across Sri Lanka’s innings – he was one of only five batters to face at least than 50 deliveries in the innings, of which two of them were certified tailenders in Kumara and Keshara Nuwantha.
For India, it was Prasih Krishna and Manav Suthar that did a majority of the damage with both picking up three wickets apiece.
But what would be even more frustrating for the hosts, is that India’s bowlers had for the most part not really done enough to merit such a batting capitulation.
Kamil Mishara received a spicy bouncer from Krishna, one he could only fend through to Dhruv Jurel behind the stumps, while on the second evening both Lahiru Udara and Prabath Jayasuriya can claim bad light had impaired them.
But the rest of Sri Lanka’s batters fell almost exclusively against the run of play. Kamindu Mendis looked excellent until he swatted a pull straight to midwicket, Pasindu Sooriyabandara chopped on a non-threatening quicker one from Ravindra Jadeja, while Niroshan Dickwella tickled one down leg to Jurel for a three-ball duck.
Even Keshara, who had done so well to hang with Dinusha, lofted an ambitious inside out drive of Suthar to mid-off.
Scores:
Sri Lanka 265 for 8 in 83.4 overs (Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80, Sonal Dinusha 85*; Prasidh Krishna 3-47, Manav Suthar 3-83) trail India 503 for 9 dec by 238 runs
[Cricinfo]
Prabath Jayasuriya has been handed an official reprimand and had a demerit point added to his disciplinary record for smacking “the boundary wedges with his bat” on his way back after being dismissed on the second day of Sri Lanka’s ongoing second Test against India in Colombo. The demerit point is Jayasuriya’s first in a 24-month period.
The offence is a breach of Level 1 of the ICC’s code of conduct for players and player support personnel, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an international match”.
The incident took place when Jayasuriya, the nightwatcher batting at No. 3, was headed back for the pavilion after being dismissed lbw by Manav Suthar off what turned out to be the last ball of the day’s play – the broadcast also showed him throwing his gloves in the dressing room.
Jayasuriya became the third player to earn the match referee’s ire during the Colombo Test after Yashaswi Jaiswal and Asitha Fernando were pulled up for an incident on the first day. Both were fined 25% of their match fees for “inappropriate physical contact” and also had a demerit point added to their respective disciplinary records.
The incident in question, which an ICC statement described as “a confrontation”, took place after Asitha dismissed Jaiswal off the last ball of the 17th over on the first morning. Jaiswal had been on his way to the dressing room when he appeared to change direction and moved towards Asitha, presumably in response to words that came out of the celebratory Sri Lanka huddle, in which Asitha was the central figure.
“Jaiswal walked towards Fernando and the two exchanged words, following which Fernando moved his head towards Jaiswal,” the statement described. “In response, Jaiswal leant in, resulting in their heads making contact.”
Video evidence, however, showed that Jaiswal initiated the physical contact. Jaiswal had turned and walked towards Asitha, who also took a small step towards the dismissed batter. That was when Jaiswal leaned his helmeted head towards Asitha, who did not back away in that moment.
India are 1-0 up in the two-Test series after winning the first Test in Galle by 165 runs.
[Cricinfo]
Representatives of the World Food Programme (WFP) met with the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, on Monday [24 August] at Temple Trees.
During the meeting, the WFP representatives expressed their readiness to continue their partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting government efforts to strengthen school nutrition programmes.
The WFP representatives noted the positive changes already taking place and expressed their interest in working closely with the Government and relevant stakeholders to further strengthen and advance nutrition interventions within the school system.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya emphasised that nutrition remains a major concern and highlighted the importance of promoting healthier eating habits alongside strengthening primary and preventive healthcare.
She noted that the Government’s school nutrition programme is currently being implemented in targeted schools and among identified families, while nutrition interventions have also been introduced at the early childhood level.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the growing concern over non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and stressed the need to examine the underlying factors contributing to their continued prevalence.
She emphasised that the Government’s approach to school nutrition should extend beyond providing free meals to targeted communities. It should also promote healthier eating habits, improved nutritional awareness and better dietary practices across the school system as a whole.
The WFP delegation emphasised the importance of strengthening collaboration among universities, the Ministry of Education, United Nations agencies and other relevant stakeholders to improve the effectiveness and impact of nutrition-related interventions.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya underscored the importance of research- and evidence-based decision-making, stressing that policies and programmes relating to nutrition and health should be informed by reliable evidence, research and a clear understanding of the underlying causes of nutritional challenges and NCDs.
The meeting was attended by WFP Representative and Country Director Philip Ward; Deputy Country Director and Head of Programmes Robert Oliver; Professor Jayashree Arcot, Professor of Food Science and Nutrition at the School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney; representatives of the WFP; and officials from the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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