12 Friday International Friday, December 29, 2017 Saudi-led coalition raids kill 109 civilians in Yemen Airstrikes at a crowded market leave 54 dead

GENEVA: A Saudi-led coalition fighting in “These incidents prove the complete disregard Yemen has killed 109 civilians in air strikes in the for human life that all parties, including the past 10 days, including 54 at a crowded market Saudi-led Coalition, continue to show in this ab- and 14 members of one family in a farm, the top surd war that has only resulted in the destruction UN official in the country said yesterday. UN of the country and the incommensurate suffering resident coordinator Jamie McGoldrick called of its people, who are being punished as part of the fighting futile and absurd, an unusually direct a futile military campaign by both sides,” Mc- criticism of the war in which the coalition, Goldrick said. backed by the United States, Britain and others, Under international law, the warring sides is fighting the Iran-allied Houthi armed move- must spare civilians and civilian infrastructure, ment. Citing initial reports from the UN human he added. The United Nations has no up-to-date rights office, a statement estimate of the death by McGoldrick said air UN’s coordinator toll in Yemen, having strikes hit a crowded said in August 2016 that market in Al Hayma sub- calls the fighting according to medical district of Attazziah in centers at least 10,000 Taiz governorate on futile and people had been killed. Tuesday, killing 54 and The United Nations injuring 32. absurd says Yemen is the Eight of the dead and world’s worst humani- six of the injured were tarian crisis, with about children, according to the 8 million people on the reports. On the same day an air strike on a farm brink of famine, a cholera epidemic that has in- in Attohayta district of Hodeidah governorate fected 1 million people, and economic collapse SANAA: A Yemeni man takes a picture of the debris following an airstrike by the Saudi-led killed 14, and air strikes elsewhere killed a further in what was already one of the Arab world’s coalition on the guard house of a memorial to Egyptian soldiers in the southern Sanaa neigh- 41 civilians and injured 43 over the past 10 days. poorest countries.— borhood of Aser. Seven members of a family died in an air raid. —AFP

Saleh. It showed Tamimi and her cousin ap- Palestinian teen in proaching two Israeli soldiers before shoving, kicking and slapping them. ‘slap video’ back The heavily armed soldiers do not respond in correspondent saw the latest group of evac- the face of what appears to be an attempt to pro- More patients uees waiting for ambulances to pick them up. at the centre of voke rather than seriously harm them. They then Among them was Abdel Rahman, a seven- move backwards after Tamimi’s mother Nariman evacuated from month-old baby with respiratory assistance becomes involved. Tamimi’s father argues that in his mother’s arms. A Red Crescent worker propaganda war her blonde hair and Western dress have con- Syria rebel enclave tried to make another baby smile. “Most of tributed to the attention she has received. “If she them suffer from cancer, chronic diseases and was veiled and dark-skinned, would she have got heart diseases,” Sedky said, adding that the the same attention?” said. “The evacuees were transferred to Damascus. From Zionist propaganda machine always depicts the JERUSALEM: Ahed Tamimi is only a teenager, DOUMA: A second batch of sick Syrian civil- the list of 500 urgent cases announced in No- Palestinian as dark-skinned and ugly, attacking but has repeatedly been at the centre of the ians, most of them children, left the besieged vember at least 16 have already died for lack the blonde victim, but now she is blonde.” seemingly endless propaganda war between Is- rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta, aid officials of medical assistance. Around 400,000 peo- raelis and Palestinians, with a video of her slap- said yesterday, but hundreds of critical pa- ple live in the Eastern Ghouta area on the edge ping soldiers. Tamimi, 16 and recognizable by ‘Case of public opinion’ tients remained trapped. Four evacuations , a former Israeli ambassador to of the Syrian capital. The enclave is controlled her shock of blonde hair, has been held up by took place on Tuesday and another group of by rebels, the dominant faction among them Palestinians and other supporters as a brave op- the United States and currently a deputy minister 12 made it out late Wednesday, but a top hu- for diplomacy, accused the Tamimis of using chil- Jaish Al-Islam (Army of Islam), and has been ponent of ’s occupation of the . manitarian envoy questioned a deal under dren as pawns, however.”The Tamimi family- under siege by the government for four years. A years-old photograph of her raising her fist at which may not be a real family-dresses up kids in which medical emergencies are used as bar- a soldier was widely published and led to her American clothes and pays them to provoke (Is- gaining chips. Exchange being received by then Turkish prime minister raeli) troops on camera,” he wrote on Twitter. A total of 29 emergency medical cases are Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2012. “This cynical and cruel use of children constitutes expected to be evacuated under a deal with Refugee Council and currently a UN special She was also photographed while wearing a abuse. Human rights organizations must investi- the government that saw rebels release 26 in- envoy for humanitarian access in Syria, was Tweety Bird shirt and biting the hand of an Is- gate!” Since her arrest early on December 19, re- dividuals, including workers detained during critical of the deal that allowed the patients to raeli soldier in 2015 to try to stop the arrest of a sponses from either side could not be further fierce clashes with the army in March. The leave. The agreement between the rebels and brother. But for Israeli officials, she is being apart. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has numbers are still a far cry from the nearly 500 the government was reached with support made to star in staged provocations by her fam- called her father and commended the family’s re- patients in the Damascus suburb the UN said from Turkey, according to the Syrian Obser- ily, prominent activists who have been at the sistance against Israel’s occupation, official news weeks ago would die if they did not urgently vatory for Human Rights, and led to the re- forefront of protests in their village of Nabi agency WAFA reported. Supporters have ac- receive better treatment. “Yesterday we evac- lease of 26 men held by Jaish al-Islam rebels. Saleh near . The latest incident led to cused Israeli authorities of arresting a teenager uated 12 patients together with their family It is “not a good agreement if they ex- her arrest on December 19 along with that of her who was only standing up for the rights of her fel- members, the majority of them are children,” change sick children for detainees that means mother and cousin. She has been detained since low Palestinians. The incident occurred during a International Committee of the Red Cross children become bargaining chips in some tug and is due to appear in military court again later. day of clashes across the West Bank against US spokeswoman Ingy Sedky said. At the Syrian of war,” Egeland told the BBC. “That shouldn’t The three appeared in a video that went viral President Donald Trump’s controversial recogni- Red Crescent headquarters in Douma, an AFP happen. —Agencies after it was recorded on December 15 in Nabi tion of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. —AFP