Israel/Palestine War: UN Mourns 101 Staff killed In Gaza

Flags at United Nations (UN) offices around the world are flying at half-mast in memory of the 101 UN staff members killed so far in the Gaza war. Staff held a minute’s silence to mourn and honour colleagues from UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) who were killed in the war. The UN relief body said in a statement on Monday that “the UNRWA death toll, already the highest in UNhistory, has continued to increase.” It added that the dead were among the 13,000 UNRWA staff working in Gaza, many of them killed with their families. They were teachers, school principals, health workers, including a gynaecologist, engineers, support staff and a psychologist, the agency said. Tom White, the Director of UNRWA in the Gaza Strip said “UNRWA staff in Gaza appreciates the UN lowering the flags around the world. “In Gaza however, we have to keep the UN flag flying high as a sign that we are still standing and serving the people of Gaza,’’ White said from Rafah. Meanwhile, UN agencies in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and elsewhere posted photos on social media of flags at half-mast in front of and on their office buildings. 

Tragic 2,360 Children Killed By Israel In Gaza Strip – UNICEF

*Calls Both Parties To Ceasefire, Release Hostages UNICEF has said that a tragic 2,360 children have died in Israel’s counter attacks in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas’ October 7 attacks on southern Israel. The aid group, which spoke of the “relentless attacks” said 5,364 children have been injured. Since the surprise Hamas attacks on October 7, Israel’s army have been bombing targets in the Gaza Strip and preparing a ground offensive in the sealed-off coastal area. “The situation in the Gaza Strip is a growing stain on our collective conscience. The rate of death and injuries of children simply staggering,” said Adele Khodr, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. He said the Gaza Strip is suffering from acute water shortages, with severe consequences for children, who make up about 50 per cent of the population. UNICEF urged all parties to agree to a ceasefire, provide humanitarian access and release all hostages.

Mistaken Abduction: Woman fatally shoots Uber driver

A woman has been charged with murder after shooting her Uber driver in West Texas, after mistakenly believing she was being kidnapped into Mexico, authorities said. Phoebe Copas, 48, who is from Tompkinsville, Kentucky, was visiting her boyfriend in El Paso, Texas, when the driver was shot June 16. The El Paso Police Department said Copas shot 52-year-old Daniel Piedra Garcia in the head while he was driving her to a location in far southeast El Paso. According to a complaint affidavit, Copas saw traffic signs that read “Juarez, Mexico,” during her ride and falsely believed she was being kidnapped and taken to Mexico. El Paso is on the U.S.-Mexico border across from Juarez. El Paso Police officers initially arrested and charged Copas on suspicion of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. Copas was booked into the El Paso County Jail and remained jailed Sunday. With Piedra’s death, the charge has been upgraded to murder, El Paso Police Department officials said. Copas’ bond is now set at $1.5 million. Piedra picked up Copas at about 2 p.m. in a gray Nissan Maxima and was driving her to meet with her boyfriend, the affidavit says. As they drove on U.S. 54 southbound in South-Central El Paso, Copas saw traffic signs that showed the words “Juarez, Mexico.” That led her to believe Piedra was trying to kidnap her and take her across the border, the affidavit says. Copas is accused of grabbing a silver and brown handgun from her purse and shooting Piedra in the back right side of his head, according to the affidavit. The vehicle crashed into roadway barriers before coming to a stop on the freeway. The area where the car crashed was “not in close proximity of a bridge, port of entry or other area with immediate access to travel into Mexico,” the affidavit says. “The roadway (Copas) was traveling on is a normal route to drive to the destination requested.” Before calling 911, police say, Copas took a photo of Piedra after he was shot and sent it to her boyfriend via text message. Officers arrived at the scene and saw Copas being helped out of the car by her boyfriend. Copas then dropped everything she was holding in her hands to the ground, including a brown and silver handgun, the affidavit says. Officers found Piedra slumped in the driver’s seat. Copas was detained as police investigated the shooting. Piedra was taken to the University Medical Centre of El Paso for treatment. Piedra was hospitalized for several days before his family took him off life support after doctors told them he would not recover. The decision devastated the family, Piedra’s niece Didi Lopez said. “His status was not going to change if we did not disconnect him,” Lopez said. “It was basically just going to be like in a vegetative state. We didn’t want to see him suffering. We didn’t want him to live out his life like that. “It was hard because we wanted him to, of course, wake up and continue living his life, but we basically didn’t make the decision. The decision was made for us and for him the second that those bullets went inside of his head.”