The brutal 11-day conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants ended early Friday morning with the acceptance of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.
Over 250 people died in the conflict, including 12 Israelis and 248 Palestinians, along with roughly 2,000 reported as injured.
According to preliminary assessments, at least 2,000 homes in Gaza were destroyed in the fighting, and an additional 15,000 homes were damaged. The UN is also reporting damage to 53 educational institutions, six hospitals, and 11 primary care centers, along with 50% of the water supply network, affecting some 800,000 people.
During the conflict, Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes against the heavily-populated Gaza Strip, targeting residential, commercial, and government buildings Israel claims were used by the Palestinian organization, Hamas.
The airstrikes were in response to hundreds of rockets being fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, most of which were intercepted by Israel’s advanced „Iron Dome” defense system.
Germany, the US, and China have all pledged humanitarian aid dedicated to rebuilding the region. The cost of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip is currently estimated at over USD 150 million.
Source: PAP
Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Belarus to respect media freedom, following raids on independent media outlets TUT.by and BelsatTV last week.
In a formal statement issued on Friday, Poland’s authorities appealed to Minsk „to choose the path of democracy, and to cease the persecution of journalists.”
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been engaged in an increasingly brutal crackdown on press freedom, involving the detention of journalists, activists, and protesters, following the widely-contested presidential election last August.
The Polish MFA also called on Belarusian authorities to release several members of the Association of Poles in Belarus, including Andżelika Borys and Andrzej Poczobut.
Source: Radio Poland
Poland’s football star Robert Lewandowski has beaten German icon Gerd Müller’s all-time Bundesliga record of 40 goals in one season.
Lewandowski’s team, Bayern Munich, beat Augsburg 5-2 on Saturday, with Lewandowski scoring the record-setting goal in the 90th minute of the game.
The Polish goal machine has scored 41 goals in the German Bundesliga this season, breaking the legendary record of Müller from his 1971/1972 campaign.
Lewandowski won FIFA’s 2020 Best Men’s Player award last December, beating Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi. He was also named Player of the Year at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai at the end of 2020.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
Italian rock group Maneskin took home the top prize at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands, last night with their song „Zitti E Buoni” or „Good and Quiet.”
While two more traditional vocal ballads from Switzerland and France were comfortably in the lead after the national judging scores were announced, the audience vote pushed the Italian rock quartet to the top with 529 points. The win marks the first time in nearly 30 years that Italy has won the song contest.
On the other end of the spectrum, the UK, who, like Italy, is automatically guaranteed a spot in the finals, earned zero points from either the judges or the audience, a result at least one commentator described as „Europe’s response to Brexit.”
Source: PAP, Associated Press
Weather
This afternoon will be mostly cloudy and cool, with a strong breeze coming in from the west and a chance for rain showers until late in the evening. Temperatures will peak around a high of 16°C, or 60°F, dropping to a low of 7°C or 45°F overnight. Tomorrow is set to be sunny and warmer, with more rain in the forecast for the rest of the week.
EP/am
