RAMALLAH -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has rejected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's request for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, according to a Palestinian official.
The official told Xinhua that Blinken reaffirmed during his meeting with Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah "Israel's right to defend itself and continue its military campaign" in Gaza. (U.S.-Palestine-Gaza Ceasefire)
- - - -
GAZA -- At least 37 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 others injured on Sunday in a massive Israeli attack on the al-Mughazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said.
Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said both the victims, most of whom were women and children, and injured people had been transferred from the refugee camp following the Israeli bombing that hit a number of homes. (Gaza-Israeli Attack-Refugee Camp-Casualty)
- - - -
CAIRO -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Sunday that the logistic difficulties imposed by Israel and its repeated bombing of the Rafah border crossing delayed the delivery of aid to the besieged Gaza Strip and placed additional burdens on Egypt.
Shoukry made the remarks during his talks with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain in Cairo, where they discussed "the deteriorating conditions in the Gaza Strip and the increasing humanitarian needs of the people of the Strip," according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. (Egypt-Israel's Delay-Gaza Aid)
- - - -
KHARTOUM -- A Sudanese lawyers group on Sunday announced that more than 20 civilians were killed in Omdurman city, north of the capital Khartoum, as a result of exchanged bombardment between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
"Due to the escalation in the clashes between the two parties and the exchanged indiscriminate shelling from both sides, many shells fell in district (15) of Al-Thawra Neighborhood of Omdurman, killing more than 20 citizens and injuring others," Sudan's Emergency Lawyers, a non-governmental group, said in a statement on Sunday. (Sudan-Clash-Civilian Casualties)
