Israel extends ban on Al Jazeera
The District Court of Tel Aviv has extended Israel’s ban on Al Jazeera Media Network for another 45 days, according to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.
The ban initially came in early May when Israel’s cabinet unanimously voted to shut down Al Jazeera in the country, immediately ordering the closure of its offices and a ban on the company’s broadcasts.
WFP forced to reduce food rations in Gaza
The World Food Programme says it has been forced to reduce food rations in Gaza “to ensure broader coverage for newly displaced people”.
In a post on X, it added that supplies are scarce in central and southern Gaza as barely any commercial provisions are going in.
A group of UN experts have blamed Israel for the onset of famine in Gaza, accusing it of carrying out a “targeted starvation campaign”, largely by preventing the delivery of aid, as well as through its relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
WHO sends more than 1 million polio vaccines to Gaza
The World Health Organization chief says vaccines will be administered over the coming weeks to prevent children being infected after the virus was detected in sewage samples.
“While no cases of polio have been recorded yet, without immediate action, it is just a matter of time before it reaches the thousands of children who have been left unprotected,” Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in an opinion piece for the UK’s The Guardian newspaper.
He wrote that children under five were most at risk from the viral disease, and especially infants under two since normal vaccination campaigns have been disrupted by more than nine months of conflict.
Poliomyelitis, which is spread mainly through the fecal-oral route, is a highly infectious virus that can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.
Cases of polio have declined by 99 percent worldwide since 1988 thanks to mass vaccination campaigns and efforts continue to eradicate it completely.
France welcomes Israeli president despite criticism as Olympics kick off
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for a “warm welcome” to Paris as the Olympic Games kick off with the opening ceremony later today, amid enhanced security measures for Israeli officials and athletes.
The country’s participation in the games amid its brutal war on Gaza has provoked criticism of Olympics organisers, who have a long history of banning nations deemed to have committed acts that contravene the spirit of the games.
Russia and Belarus will be absent from the competition as a result of the continuing war in Ukraine.
“The State of Israel is proud to participate in the Olympics and to raise its flag on this important world stage,” Herzog said on X, thanking France for helping ensure Israel’s participation.
I thank President of France @EmmanuelMacron for the warm welcome and congratulate him on hosting the Olympics in Paris. I appreciate his efforts in the fight against antisemitism, and his contribution to ensuring the ability of the excellent Israeli delegation to compete proudly… pic.twitter.com/qTcM72psc5
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) July 26, 2024
