News
Gaza Hospital Director Says 179 Buried In ‘Mass Grave’ In Compound
The director of Gaza’s biggest hospital said Tuesday that 179 people, including babies and patients who died in the intensive care unit, had been buried in a “mass grave” at the complex.
“We were forced to bury them in a mass grave,” said Al-Shifa hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiyah, adding that seven babies and 29 intensive care patients were among those buried after the hospital’s fuel supplies ran out.
Tanks were massed near the gates of Gaza’s main hospital where Palestinians were trapped in dire conditions as US President Joe Biden pressed Israel to protect the complex.
After days of heavy air strikes around Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital, witnesses said tanks and armoured vehicles were metres (yards) from the besieged facility, which has become a focal point of the five-week-old war.
The United Nations believes that thousands, and perhaps more than 10,000 people — patients, staff and displaced civilians — may be inside and unable to escape because of fierce fighting nearby.
Amid reports of premature babies dying for lack of electricity and patients facing gunfire, a surgeon working for Doctors Without Borders said the situation inside the hospital had become “very bad”.
An injured man reacts by the bodies (not pictured) of Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli forces during an operation in Tulkarm, at the Thabet hospital morgue in the same city in the occupied West Bank early on November 14, 2023. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
“We don’t have electricity. There’s no water in the hospital. There’s no food,” said the doctor, who was not named by his organisation. “It is inhuman.”
Israel accuses Hamas fighters of using tunnels under the hospital as a command “node”, effectively engaging the sick and injured as human shields. It is a charge that Hamas denies.
Israel says it is not targeting the hospital, but has vowed to destroy Hamas in response to the attacks of October 7, which killed an estimated 1,200 people, mostly civilians and resulted in 240 hostages being taken back to Gaza.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says Israel’s assault has already killed 11,240 people, also mostly civilians, including thousands of children.
Israel says 46 of its troops have been killed in fighting in Gaza.
Biden called on Israel to use “less intrusive action relative to the hospital”, some of his most pointed comments on Israeli operations to date. “The hospital must be protected,” he told reporters.
Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner insisted Al-Shifa was “central in Hamas’s command and control capabilities”, but said troops were currently “stand-offish”.
“The idea is to try to evacuate the people, evacuate as many as possible,” he said.
Underscoring the role that global public opinion is playing in the war, both sides have repeatedly given vastly different accounts of events.
Lerner put the number of people inside the hospital at “a few hundred”, while the Hamas government’s deputy health minister Youssef Abu Rish, who is present in the hospital, said about 20,000 displaced people had sought refuge there.
‘Window Of Legitimacy
People mourn as they stand behind a metal fence near the bodies of victims who were killed in Israeli bombardment before their burial, outside the morgue at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023 amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)
Hamas’s brutal attacks of October 7 and Israel’s massive response have sparked protests around the world, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets in the Middle East, Europe and beyond.
Israel’s supporters insist it must protect citizens after the worst attack in the country’s 75-year history — an attack that brought painful echoes of past pogroms against the Jewish people.
But Israel’s critics point to the toll of a blockade and near-relentless bombing campaign on long-suffering civilians in Gaza.
International aid agencies speak of hundreds of thousands of people displaced and a rolling humanitarian catastrophe.
Israel’s top diplomat admitted Monday that his nation has “two or three weeks until international pressure really steps up.”
Quoted by his spokesman, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen added that Israel is working to “broaden the window of legitimacy, and the fighting will carry on for as long as necessary.”
Truce Talks
Israeli forces keep watch near a checkpoint as Palestinians demonstrate in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on November 10, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
In the face of mounting pressure, Israel has agreed to daily pauses in military operations around specified humanitarian “corridors” to allow Gazans to flee fighting.
Israeli leaders have so far insisted there will be no broader ceasefire before hostages are released.
But Qatar is mediating talks on a possible deal to free the hostages.
Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas’s military wing, said Monday that a possible deal would involve the release 100 Israeli hostages in return for 200 Palestinian children and 75 women held in Israeli prisons.
“We informed the mediators we could release the hostages if we obtained five days of truce… and passage of aid to all of our people throughout the Gaza Strip, but the enemy is procrastinating,” Abu Obeida said in an audio statement.
Biden said he was “somewhat hopeful” the Qatar-mediated talks could lead to a deal.
As security officials and diplomats continued negotiations, Hamas released a video of a young woman who was said to be an Israeli soldier held in Gaza.
The Israeli army later confirmed the identity of the woman.
“Our hearts go out to the Marciano family, whose daughter, Noa, was brutally kidnapped by the Hamas terrorist organisation,” the army said in a statement.
Fear Of Violence Spreading
A girl stands through the entrance of a tent among others pitched by Palestinians taking shelter from Israeli bombardment around Nasser Hospital, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023 amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)
Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said troops “found signs that indicate that Hamas held hostages” in the basement of Al-Rantisi children’s hospital, showing footage of a baby bottle and a rope near a chair.
In the video he showed neatly arranged assault rifles, grenades and what Hagari said were “vests with explosives”.
The war in Gaza has also spurred violence on other fronts.
In the northern West Bank, five Palestinians were killed in clashes around the city of Tulkarem, the director of a local hospital told AFP on Tuesday.
After repeated strikes on US forces in the Middle East, the United States launched air attacks that killed at least eight pro-Iran fighters in eastern Syria, a Britain-based monitoring group said.
On Monday, Israel used fighter jets to strike what it said were “operational command centres” belonging to Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah inside Lebanon.
The global oil market has recorded losses exceeding $50bn following massive supply disruptions triggered by the ongoing Iran war, which has now stretched to nearly 50 days.
Data from energy analytics firm Kpler showed that more than 500 million barrels of crude oil and condensate have been wiped off the global market since the crisis began in late February, making it the largest energy supply disruption in modern history.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, on Friday said the Strait of Hormuz had been reopened after a ceasefire agreement reached in Lebanon.
However, tensions escalated again on Saturday as Tehran warned it could shut the strategic waterway if the United States sustains its blockade of Iranian ports.
Also, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism that a deal to end the conflict could be reached “soon,” although he did not provide a definite timeline.
Analysts warned that the scale of disruption could have prolonged effects on global energy stability, with shocks expected to linger for months or even years.
Providing context, Principal Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, Iain Mowat, said the 500 million barrels lost is equivalent to grounding global aviation demand for 10 weeks, halting all road transport worldwide for 11 days, or shutting down the entire global oil supply for five days.
Further estimates showed that the lost volume is nearly equal to one month of oil demand in the United States or more than a month’s supply for Europe. It also represents about six years of fuel consumption by the U.S. military and could power global shipping activities for approximately four months.
The crisis has significantly affected oil-producing nations in the Gulf, with output losses reaching about eight million barrels per day in March—roughly equivalent to the combined production of two of the world’s largest oil companies.
Jet fuel exports from major producers, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman, dropped sharply from 19.6 million barrels in February to just 4.1 million barrels recorded across March and April combined. Analysts said the shortfall could have powered about 20,000 round-trip international flights.
With crude prices averaging around $100 per barrel since the onset of the conflict, the lost volumes translate to an estimated $50bn in revenue. Experts noted that this figure is equivalent to about one per cent of Germany’s annual Gross Domestic Product, or roughly the size of the economies of smaller European countries.
Meanwhile, global onshore crude inventories have declined by about 45 million barrels in April alone, while total production outages have risen to approximately 12 million barrels per day since late March.
Industry experts cautioned that unless a lasting resolution is reached, the disruption could intensify volatility in global oil markets, worsen inflationary pressures, and further strain fragile economies worldwide.
A member of the House of Representatives representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency and Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Aderemi Oseni, has been nominated for a Special Award in Politics at the 2026 City People Political Awards.
The nomination was conveyed in a letter dated April 13, 2026, signed by the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of City People Magazine, Seye Kehinde.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued by Oseni’s media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Thursday.
According to the statement, the lawmaker earned the nomination in recognition of his “outstanding contributions to politics in Oyo State, particularly in Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency.”
The organisers noted that Oseni emerged as a nominee following a comprehensive review of performances across sectors by the award’s selection committee.
Part of the letter read, “Having performed creditably well in your sector last year, the Organising Committee presented you as a nominee in your sector.”
The award ceremony is scheduled to hold on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at Etal Hall, Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos, at 4pm.
The City People Awards is an annual event that recognises individuals who have distinguished themselves in governance, public service and other sectors of national development.
The Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company has announced a crackdown on individuals who assault its staff, warning that offenders will face prosecution and public exposure.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the company expressed concern over what it described as a “disturbing surge” in attacks on its field workers and third-party partners.
It noted that the affected personnel were mainly engaged in meter installation, revenue collection and maintenance of electricity infrastructure.
According to the firm, the increasing cases of harassment, physical assault and unlawful detention of its workers pose a serious threat to employee safety and the stability of electricity service delivery across its franchise areas.
The Deputy Managing Director, Abubakar Mohammed, said the company would no longer tolerate any form of aggression against its workforce.
“Let this serve as a clear warning to anyone who engages in the assault of our staff. Kaduna Electric will pursue every case to its logical conclusion,” he said.
“We will work closely with security agencies to ensure offenders are brought to justice and face the full weight of the law,” Mohammed added.
He further disclosed that the company would publicly reveal the identities of individuals found culpable.
According to him, names, photographs and other details of offenders would be published on the company’s official platforms as well as in national and local media.
“This measure is intended to ensure accountability and serve as a strong deterrent. Anyone who chooses to attack our personnel should be prepared not only to face prosecution but also public exposure,” he added.
The company stressed that assaults on utility workers attract serious legal and financial consequences, noting that offenders risk criminal charges that may lead to fines or imprisonment.
It added that perpetrators could also face civil liabilities, including compensation for medical treatment, psychological trauma and loss of work hours.
While condemning the attacks, Kaduna Electric urged customers to adopt peaceful and lawful means of resolving disputes.
It advised aggrieved customers to channel complaints through its customer service units or appropriate regulatory bodies.
The management reaffirmed its commitment to protecting its workforce and partners, stressing that a safe working environment is essential for delivering reliable and efficient electricity services.
Although disputes between electricity providers and consumers are often linked to billing issues, metering challenges and service delivery concerns, the company maintained that such matters must be resolved through dialogue, insisting that violence against its staff will no longer be tolerated.
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