Bandits, on Sunday, attacked travellers on the Abuja–Kaduna highway and abducted over 30 people, witnesses and community leaders reported. 

The abduction took place at Dogon-Fili near Katari, along the Kaduna-Abuja highway in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State. 

This is the first time in more than ten months when the security along the Abuja–Kaduna road artery was breached. 

Findings by this newspaper revealed that the last reported incident on the road was on March 1, 2023 when 23 people were abducted. 

A former lawmaker, Shehu Sani confirmed the attack on his X page, disclosing that two of his friends narrowly escaped being kidnapped by the bandits. 

He also said that the bandits blocked the road and operated for some time even though there were more security operatives on the road than there used to be in the past. 

Sani said two of his friends from both opposition and ruling parties who were returning to Abuja from Kaduna narrowly escaped during the bandits’ attack. 

Sani said: “Just when we felt safer, last night (Sunday) kidnappers returned to the Kaduna-Abuja Road. They blocked the road and abducted scores of persons around 9pm near Katari village. Two of my honourable friends from both the ruling and opposition parties had to run through the bush like Usain Bolt. But despite this incident, there is a stronger security presence along the route than it used to be in the past.” 

A resident of Katari, Suleiman Dan Baba, said the incident happened around 9:33pm when the bandits, wielding AK-47 rifles, emerged from the bush and blocked the two lanes, adding that they operated for close to 45 minutes. 

He also narrated that the bandits opened fire and deflated the tyres of some vehicles, which he said forced drivers, including commercial vehicles to stop. 

“The bandits forced travellers to alight from their vehicles at gunpoint, before moving them into the bush,” the source said. 

Another resident of Jere, Samaila Shehu, said the incident happened at a distance of about one kilometre away from Jere, and over 30 travellers were abducted at the scene. 

Shuaibu Adamu Jere, a community leader, also confirmed the incidents, stating that his relative escaped the attack near Dogon Fili, close to Katari town on Sunday. He said that a driver was injured, and two vehicles, a Sharon and another small car, were found empty by the roadside after the incident. 

“Yes, the incident happened around 9:30pm, and the operation lasted about 45 minutes around Dogon Fili near Katari on Sunday. The driver of one of the vehicles was shot and left at the scene. One of my relatives escaped the attack,” he said. 

He could not however specify the number of people abducted as the attack took place at night, but said the injured driver was rushed to an undisclosed hospital for treatment. 

Another resident of Katari, a lawyer, who prefers not to be named, also confirmed that the highway was blocked on Sunday night as he was preparing to return to Kaduna. 

According to him, the soldiers stationed around 500 meters from Katari repelled the bandits.

“I was told the bandits blocked the road that night before the soldiers at Katari repelled them. But I don’t know if people were abducted,” he said. 

When contacted yesterday, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan said he could not confirm the development, but promised to revert to our reporter after a meeting he was attending. He did not revert at press time last night. 

The state Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, when contacted, said he would investigate and find out what happened. 

Daily Trust

No fewer than seven persons were reportedly killed on Sunday in a renewed attack by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herders in the Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.

The suspected armed herders were said to have attacked a commercial vehicle between Arufu and Chembe villages Sunday and shot at passengers.

The attackers were later reported to have invaded Mchia community in the night and killed seven persons.

Several others were reported to have been missing during the invasion.

A community leader, Anawah Joseph, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone on Monday, explained that the attackers laid ambush on the road and shot at a commercial vehicle between Arufu and Chembe villages.

He said, “Armed Fulani herders in collaboration with Jukun militias on Sunday shot at a commercial vehicle heading to Lorza where some passengers suffered injury.

“They also invaded Mchia where they slaughtered eight people.”

Chairman of the local government, Adagbe Jonathan, who spoke to our correspondent on Monday, said seven persons were killed while several others were still missing.

He said, “It’s true that armed herders in collaboration with Jukun militias attacked my people yesterday (Sunday) at about 9 pm.

“With the help of policemen, we were able to recover five corpses Sunday night while two corpses were recovered this morning (Monday). They also shot at a commercial vehicle where two people were injured.

“As I am talking to you now, the two people who sustained injuries have been taken to hospital at Anyim but many people are still missing.”

The council chairman, who said he was on his way to report the incident to the security adviser, Joseph Har, added that the attackers were armed herders hired by Jukun militias.

Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene, were not successful as calls to her phone were not answered.

Punch

Blinken presses Israel on Gaza’s postwar future as Lebanon border clashes escalate

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is back in Tel Aviv and, after meeting with top leaders Tuesday, said Israel must do more to lessen the Gaza war’s toll on civilians and said Washington rejects any proposal for settling Palestinians outside the territory.

Hundreds of people have been killed in recent days as the Israeli offensive’s focus shifts to the southern city of Khan Younis and built-up refugee camps in the central Gaza. The entire 2.3 million population is also in a food crisis, with 576,000 people at catastrophic or starvation levels.

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least four members of the militant group Hezbollah members, a day after a similar attack killed a commander with the militant Hezbollah group. Israel claimed it killed Ali Hussein Barji, who it said was in charge of Hezbollah’s drones in the south, but a Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with the group’s regulations, said he was only a fighter.

Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack from Gaza into southern Israel triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people, and militants took some 250 others hostage. Israel’s air, ground and sea assault in Gaza has killed more than 23,000 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. The count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Currently:

— Hezbollah launches drone strike on northern Israel base, Israeli military says there’s no damage.

— Blinken urges Israel to engage with region on postwar plans that include path to Palestinian state.

— Israeli strike kills an elite Hezbollah commander in the latest escalation linked to the war in Gaza.

— Former U.K. opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn will join South Africa’s delegation accusing Israel of genocide.

U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL TO VOTE ON HOUTHI ATTACKS IN RED SEA

The U.N. Security Council has scheduled a vote Wednesday on a U.S.-proposed resolution that would condemn attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea area and demand an immediate halt.

The draft resolution, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, says at least two dozen Houthi attacks are impeding global commerce “and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security.”

The resolution would demand the immediate release of the first ship the Houthis attacked, the Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-operated cargo ship with links to an Israeli company that was seized on Nov. 19 along with its crew.

Without naming Iran, the Houthis’ main arms supplier, the draft to be voted on would condemn all arms dealings with the rebels, which violate Security Council sanctions.

It also “urges caution and restraint to avoid further escalation of the situation in the Red Sea and the broader region.” And it “encourages enhanced diplomatic efforts by all parties to that end, including continued support for dialogue and Yemen’s peace process under the U.N. auspices.”

AP

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian air defenses depleted by Russian strikes

Kiev’s air defense arsenal has been depleted as the country tries to shoot down increasing barrages of Russian missiles and drones, a Ukrainian Air Force official has acknowledged.

“Intense Russian air attacks force us to use a corresponding amount of air defense means,” Air Force spokesman Yury Ignat said on Tuesday in a Ukrainian television interview. “That’s why we need more of them, as Russia keeps increasing its attack capabilities.”

Moscow’s forces have ramped up airstrikes in the past two weeks, launching hundreds of missiles and drones targeting weapons plants and other targets in Ukrainian cities. A Russian barrage on Monday morning targeted military-industrial facilities in the Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Khmelnitsky and Zaporozhye regions, and Kiev admitted that its air defenses failed to intercept most of the missiles.  

Ignat said Ukraine is currently reliant on supplies of guided missiles for its Western and Soviet-era air defense systems. Speaking by video on Sunday at a Swedish defense conference, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky warned that Kiev lacks adequate air defenses “on the battlefield and in our cities.”

The air defense shortfall comes at a time when Ukraine’s biggest military supplier, Washington, has run out of money to send more weapons to Kiev. US President Joe Biden’s plan to provide $61.4 billion in additional aid for Ukraine as part of a $106 billion emergency spending bill has stalled in the Congress amid rising opposition from Republican lawmakers. Meanwhile, a €50 billion ($54.6 billion) EU aid package was derailed at least temporarily by a Hungarian veto in December.

Kiev is pinning its hopes for near-term help on NATO’s council of Ukraine backers, which is scheduled to meet on Wednesday in Brussels. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said he hopes the meeting will be followed by “prompt commitments” to help beef up Kiev’s air defenses amid the Russian onslaught.

“First and foremost, we expect the meeting to expedite critical decisions on further strengthening Ukraine's air defense capabilities, both in terms of modern systems and their ammunition,” Kuleba said in a statement. He added that supplying missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot, IRIS-T and NASAMS air defense systems is a “top priority that must be completed today, not tomorrow.”

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

One killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russia's Kursk region, drones hit fuel complex

A woman was killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russia's Kursk region and drones struck a fuel facility in the neighbouring region of Oryol, the two regions' governors said on Tuesday, amid an escalation of cross-border attacks.

In a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app, Kursk region governor Roman Starovoit said a woman had been killed by shelling in the village of Gornal, near the border with Ukraine.

At least five drones were shot down over the Kursk region on Tuesday, Starovoit and Russia's defence ministry said.

The governor of Oryol region, Andrei Klychkov, said two drones had hit a fuel facility, injuring three and causing a fire that was later extinguished. He said three drones had been shot shown.

In a statement posted on Telegram, Klychkov called the events "an enemy attack".

Later the governor of the nearby Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, and the defence ministry reported the destruction of another drone, without providing any details.

Russian border regions have repeatedly come under fire from Ukraine in recent months. On Dec. 30, at least 20 people were killed in a missile strike on the city of Belgorod, 40 km (25 miles) from Ukraine, Russian media said.

Russia has also recently fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities, including some far behind the frontline, Ukrainian officials have said.

In the latest strike this week, Russia fired 51 missiles of various types, killing at least four people and hitting civilian infrastructure, they said.

RT/Reuters

World-renowned billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates were once asked at a gathering to write down on a sheet of paper their secret to success in one word. They both gave the same answer: focus.

“The thing you do obsessively between age 13 and 18, that's the thing you have the most chance of being world-class at,” Gates told Charlie Rose in a 2016 television interview.

In his case, the activity Gates was obsessed with was coding — which worked out pretty well. Gates went on to co-found Microsoft and became a millionaire in his 20s. He’s now the seventh wealthiest person on the planet, according to the Forbes real-time billionaires index, with a net worth of around $118 billion.

When Buffett was interviewed shortly afterward by CNBC, he was asked what he was obsessed with as a teenager.

“Well, I was pretty interested in investments,” he said.

When he was just 11 years old in 1942, Buffett says he took $114.75, his life savings at the time, and made his first investment, buying three shares of oil and gas company Cities Service (now called Citgo).

Fortune has since smiled on Buffett, who is now known as one of the most successful investors of all time. Aged 93, he still runs multinational conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, which owns dozens of giant brands, including insurer Geico, battery maker Duracell and restaurant chain Dairy Queen. He ranks sixth on the Forbes real-time billionaires index with a net worth of around $120 billion.

Buffett recounted the story to CNBC about Gates’s father gathering a group of men many years ago and asking them to share one word that accounted for each person’s success. Buffett and Gates wrote down the same thing without either knowing the other one’s answer ahead of time.

“He was focused on software, I was focused on investments,” Buffett said. “It gave me a big advantage to start very young — there’s no question about it.”

If you’re keen on following the shared ethos of these billionaires but you’re long past your teenage years, it may not be too late. Here are three ways to focus your investing strategy to emulate some of Buffett and Gates’s wealth-building success.

Start early and stay focused

The earlier you can start investing, the better off you’ll be. That’s probably the most common piece of investing advice — and it’s something that Buffett and Gates both stand by.

Buffett once described earning compound interest — interest you earn based on your personal contributions and the interest you've already earned — as the ability to snowball your wealth.

“We started building this little snowball on top of a very long hill,” he said at Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholders meeting in 1999. “The trick is to have a very long hill, either start very young or live to be very old.”

There are many ways to start investing. You can invest in stocks or index funds through a traditional brokerage account, or you can use tax-friendly investment vehicles like a 401(k) account (if your employer offers one) or an individual retirement account (IRA).

Once you start investing, it’s important to stay focused. It's possible to put your money to work every single day, for example, if you invest your spare change. And remember, the more time you have to earn interest, the bigger the rewards you'll see.

Focus on quality and value

Buffett is a well-known proponent of value investing, which is a strategy that involves buying stocks that are trading below their intrinsic value.

Typically, he looks for companies with long-lasting earning potential, consistent earnings, good cash flow and a low amount of debt.

He also likes to hold high-quality stocks for a long time — as shown via long-term investments in blue-chip companies like American Express and Coca-Cola — and famously wrote in his 1996 letter to shareholders: “If you aren’t willing to own a stock for 10 years, don’t even think about owning it for 10 minutes.”

While the investing juggernaut has been preaching the notion of value investing for many years, he reiterated it in Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder letter published in February 2023, where he wrote that the company’s investing goal was to back “businesses with both long-lasting favorable characteristics and trustworthy managers.”

Some good examples of value investing in Buffett’s portfolio are his stakes in Apple and Coca-Cola. Apple now ranks as Berkshire Hathaway’s largest stock holding at around $166.5 billion and makes up over 45% of the conglomerate’s entire portfolio.

“It just happens to be [a] better business than any we own,” Buffett said of the technology giant at the 2023 Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting — alluding to Apple’s impressive financial metrics.

Focus on learning and improving

It’s likely you’ll see both gains and losses through the lifetime of your investment portfolio. The question to ask yourself is: how can I turn my investing blunders from the past into successes in the future?

Even investing greats like Buffett have made mistakes over time. At the 1997 Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting, Buffett admitted to making “mistakes of omission,” where he had the opportunity to invest in attractive businesses but did not act.

Talking about some of those mistakes, Charlie Munger — Buffett’s long-time business partner and vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway — said that “most people get very few, what I call, no-brainer opportunities, where it’s just so damned obvious that this is going to work.”

He added: “I think people have to learn to have the courage and the intelligence to step up in a major way when those rare opportunities come by.”

But not everyone has the investing knowledge to jump on those opportunities. To gain some advantage, you may want to consider working with a professional financial adviser who can translate the investing world for you — or you can use investing apps and online platforms that will do much of the work for you.

Moneywise

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved the partial disconnection of Globacom to MTN due to a non-settlement of interconnect charges.

The NCC said this in a public notice by Reuben Muoka, the director of public affairs of the commission, on Monday.

The partial disconnection, according to the commission, means that Globacom’s subscribers will no longer be able to make calls to MTN, but will be able to receive calls to the Globacom network.

The commission explained that at the expiration of 10 days from the date of the notice, disconnection will be implemented.

“The Nigerian Communications Commission hereby notifies the public and subscribers of Globacom Limited (Globacom) that approval has been granted for the partial disconnection of Globacom from MTN Nigeria Communications Plc. (MTN), due to non-settlement of interconnect charges,” Muoka said.

He said Globacom was notified of the application made by MTN and was given the opportunity to comment and state its case.

“The commission, having examined the application and circumstances surrounding the indebtedness, determined that Globacom does not have sufficient or justifiable reason for non-payment of the interconnect charges.

“All subscribers are, therefore, requested to take notice that the Commission has approved the partial disconnection of Globacom to MTN in accordance with Section 100 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 and Paragraph 9 of the Guidelines on Procedure for Granting Approval to Disconnect Telecommunications Operators, 2012,” he said.

“At the expiration of 10 (ten) days from the date of this notice, subscribers of Globacom will no longer be able to make calls to MTN but will be able to receive calls.

“The partial disconnection, however, will allow inbound calls to the Globacom network. Please note that this disconnection will subsist until otherwise determined by the commission,” Muoka said.

PT

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Monday launched the automated passport application process to expedite passport acquisition for Nigerians.

The NIS in a statement on Monday said the launch followed a live demonstration session hosted by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, unveiling the functionality of the new system to stakeholders from across the country on Saturday in Abuja.

Speaking during the technical session, the Minister noted that the new reform seeks to redefine how citizens enrol and procure the international passport.

With an emphasis on convenience, reduced processing time, and an overall seamless experience, the Minister assured the public that this new solution will enhance national security and data protection.

He said: “With the new solution, application, processing, review, and approval will all be done online. On knowledge transfer, we have trained our officers to assume the new roles.

“With what we have done now, we have reduced the process of requesting for a passport to about six minutes. This does not require anybody to visit the immigration office and it will reduce the pressure on the immigration officers.

“As I speak, we have made arrangements for power and internet service providers to ensure at least 99.9% uptime. By February, Nigerians in the diaspora can have this same experience.”

On identity theft, the Minister disclosed that the Service has also achieved its objective of harmonization of data through its technical handshake with the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC.

Speaking on the readiness of the system and the men of the Service, Comptroller General of NIS, Mrs Adepoju Carol Wura-Ola, stated that the new process was a result of hardwork and determination of the Service.

She said: “What you’re seeing today is the product of dedication and motivation to see that an end comes to the stress, pains, and hardship that Nigerians go through to procure the international passport both at home and in the diaspora.

“We are motivated to stamp out corruption. That the Green Passport is restored to its place of pride. The Minister, Tunji-Ojo has challenged the Service, and has provided resources and technical know-how.”

CTV

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has invited Betta Edu, minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, to its headquarters for investigation.

A source within the EFCC confirmed that Edu has been invited to appear before the commission “as soon as possible”.

“The government has directed us to investigate her over the N585 million scandal and so we will do that,” the source said.

Earlier on Monday, President Bola Tinubu suspended Edu as minister after a memo surfaced wherein she asked Oluwatoyin Madein, accountant-general of the federation, to transfer N585 million to a private account.

The instruction for the payment was contained in a leaked letter dated December 20, 2023.

In the letter signed by the minister and titled: “Mandate for Payment of Grant for Vulnerable Groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos and Ogun States Respectively”, Edu instructed the accountant-general to transfer the aforementioned amount to the UBA account of one Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola.

The minister had said the payment instruction followed due process, even though the accountant-general of the federation said she did not carry out the minister’s request because no bulk money “is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of Project Accountant”.

Edu had also approved the payment of flight fare for staff to Kogi, even though the north-central state has no airport to its name.

Alongside the suspension, Tinubu had also directed the EFCC “to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transaction” involving Edu’s ministry.

Ola Olukoyede, the commission’s chairman, was said to have recommended the suspension of the minister to the president.

The Cable

Oil prices fell over 3% on Monday on sharp price cuts by top exporter Saudi Arabia and a rise in OPEC output that offset supply concerns generated by escalating geopolitical tension in the Middle East.

Brent crude settled down $2.64, or 3.4%, at $76.12 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures lost $3.04, or 4.1%, at $70.77 a barrel.

Both contracts climbed more than 2% in the first week of 2024 as geopolitical risk in the Middle East intensified after attacks by Yemen's Houthis on ships in the Red Sea.

On Sunday, rising supply and competition from rival producers prompted Saudi Arabia to cut the February official selling price (OSP) of its flagship Arab Light crude to Asia to the lowest level in 27 months.

"That's raising concerns about demand in China and global demand as well," Price Futures Group analyst Phil Flynn said. "The stock market is off to a weak start this year and this news from Saudi Arabia has caused the bottom to fall out."

A Reuters survey on Friday found that OPEC oil output rose in December as increases in Angola, Iraq and Nigeria offset continuing cuts by Saudi Arabia and other members of the wider OPEC+ alliance.

The boost came ahead of further OPEC+ cuts in 2024 and as Angola exited from OPEC starting this year, factors which are set to lower January output and market share.

"If we were just to focus on the fundamentals, including higher inventories, higher OPEC/non-OPEC production and a lower than expected Saudi OSP, it would be impossible to be anything other than bearish on crude oil," said IG analyst Tony Sycamore.

"However, that doesn't take into account the fact that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are undeniably rising again, which will mean limited downside."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held more talks with Arab leaders on Monday as part of a diplomatic push to stop the war in Gaza from spreading further.

The conflict has already sparked violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, and also led to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.

Meanwhile, the oil price slide was tempered by a force majeure by Libya's National Oil Corporation on Sunday at its Sharara oilfield, which can produce up to 300,000 barrels per day.

Reuters

Israeli strike kills an elite Hezbollah commander in the latest escalation linked to the war in Gaza

An Israeli airstrike killed an elite Hezbollah commander Monday in southern Lebanon, the latest in an escalating exchange of strikes across the border that have raised fears of another Mideast war even as the fighting in Gaza exacts a mounting toll on civilians.

The strike on an SUV killed a commander in a secretive Hezbollah unit that operates along the border, according to a Lebanese security official who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with regulations. The commander, Wissam al-Tawil, was a veteran of the Iranian-backed Lebanese force who took part in the 2006 cross-border kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers that triggered the last war between Israel and Hezbollah, an official in the group said.

He is the most senior Hezbollah militant killed since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel triggered all-out war in Gaza and lower-intensity fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which has escalated since an Israeli strike killed a senior Hamas leader last week in Beirut.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is back in the region this week, appears to be trying to head off a wider conflict.

In other developments, Israel said it has largely wrapped up major operations in northern Gaza, though fighting and bombardment there continue. Israeli forces are now focusing on the central region and the southern city of Khan Younis, where thousands more Palestinians fled.

Israeli officials say the fighting will continue for many more months as the army seeks to dismantle Hamas and return scores of hostages taken during the militants’ Oct. 7 attack.

The offensive has already killed over 23,000 Palestinians, devastated vast swaths of the Gaza Strip, displaced nearly 85% of its population of 2.3 million and left a quarter of its residents facing starvation.

‘SICKENING SCENES’ IN GAZA’S OVERWHELMED HOSPITALS

Medics, patients and displaced people fled from central Gaza’s main hospital as fighting drew closer, witnesses said Monday. Losing the facility would be another major blow to a health system shattered by three months of war.

Doctors Without Borders and other aid groups withdrew from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, saying it was too dangerous amid Israeli bombardment, drone strikes and sniper fire. That spread panic among people sheltering there. Thousands left, joining the hundreds of thousands who have fled further south, said a hospital staffer, Omar al-Darawi.

Tens of thousands of people have sought shelter in Gaza’s hospitals, which are struggling to treat the continuous flow of wounded from Israeli strikes. Only 13 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are even partially functional, according to the U.N. humanitarian office.

The Al-Aqsa hospital was struck multiple times in recent days, al-Darawi said. After the pullout, large numbers of patients who cannot be moved were concentrated on one floor to be treated by remaining doctors. “They need special care, which is unavailable,” he said.

World Health Organization staff who visited Sunday saw “sickening scenes of people of all ages being treated on blood-streaked floors and in chaotic corridors,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “The bloodbath in Gaza must end.”

More dead and wounded arrive at the hospital each day as Israeli forces advance in central Gaza, backed by heavy airstrikes. The military said Monday it had uncovered a large Hamas site for building rockets in the nearby Bureij refugee camp.

Thousands have been fleeing the area, heading south. Fifteen members of the Ayash family crammed into a van with their belongings for the journey. “Along the way there was banging, missiles, bombing, and planes,” said Khawla Ayash.

Reaching Muwasi, a coastal area outside Rafah, they unloaded bags, blankets and thin mattresses and began setting up tents alongside other relatives.

The U.N. children’s agency UNICEF warned that 90% of Gaza’s children under 2 were consuming only bread and milk.

“As the threat of famine intensifies,” hundreds of thousands of children face severe malnourished, with some at risk of death, said Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s executive director. “We cannot allow that to happen.”

DIRE CONDITIONS IN THE NORTH

The situation is even more dire in northern Gaza, which Israeli forces cut off from the rest of the territory in late October.

Entire neighborhoods have been demolished, and most of the population has fled. Tens of thousands who remain face shortages of food and water. The WHO said Sunday it has been unable to deliver supplies to northern Gaza for 12 days because of bombardment and the inability to guarantee safe passage with the Israeli military.

Israel still battles what it describes as pockets of militants.

An airstrike early Sunday flattened a four-story home filled with displaced people in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp, killing at least 70, including women and children, according to Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense. There was no immediate confirmation from the Health Ministry, which has struggled to operate in the north.

Since the war began, more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed, about two-thirds of them women and children, and more than 58,000 have been wounded, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The death toll does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Israel blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the group operates in populated residential areas, but the military almost never comments on the intended target in strikes that kill large numbers of civilians. The military says it has killed some 8,000 militants, without providing evidence, and says 176 of its own soldiers have been killed in the offensive.

SEEKING TO HEAD OFF A WIDER WAR

Blinken focused on preventing the war from spreading as he held talks in Gulf countries and Jordan over the past two days.

For the past three months, both Israel and Hezbollah have sought to limit their cross-border exchanges. Hezbollah appears wary of risking an all-out war that would bring massive destruction to Lebanon.

But last week’s killing of Hamas’ deputy political leader, Saleh Arouri, in Beirut threatens to throw the two sides into an escalating spiral.

A Hezbollah rocket barrage hit a sensitive air traffic base Saturday in northern Israel in one of the group’s biggest attacks of the war — an “initial response” to Arouri’s killing, Hezbollah said.

Israeli leaders say their patience with Hezbollah rocket fire is wearing thin and that if diplomacy doesn’t stop it, they are prepared to go to war. They have expressed particular concern about the Radwan Force, the elite Hezbollah unit in which al-Tawil was a commander, which operates along the border.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting troops near the border, vowed to return security to the north.

“We prefer that this be done without a wider campaign, but that won’t stop us,” he said.

Hezbollah began firing rockets shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, saying it aimed to ease pressure on Gaza. Hamas and other militants killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel that day, mostly civilians, and took some 250 people hostage, over 130 of whom remain in captivity.

In the cross-border exchanges, nearly 200 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, mostly fighters but also 20 civilians. On the Israeli side, five civilians and 12 soldiers have been killed and more than 150 injured. Tens of thousands of people in both countries have been driven from homes near the border.

AP