Presidente de los Estados Unidos, Joe Biden. (Foto: EFE/Ting Shen)
Un grupo de 120 organizaciones pidió este lunes al presidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, poner fin a los trabajos recientemente ordenados para reforzar el muro fronterizo con México en áreas donde las obras afectan a comunidades vulnerables y a la vida silvestre.
El pasado 4 de octubre se conoció que el secretario de Seguridad Nacional, Alejandro Mayorkas, había dado luz verde a la construcción de barreras físicas en varias zonas del Valle del Río Grande para «prevenir la entrada» irregular de migrantes a territorio estadounidense.
En una carta liderada por el Centro para la Diversidad Biológica, la Unión Estadounidense de Libertades Civiles (ACLU), y el Sierra Club, los 120 grupos denunciaron que la orden de Mayorkas viola al menos 26 leyes federales en el condado de Starr en Texas, incluyendo normativas de salud pública, conservación cultural y protección ambiental.
La reanudación de las construcciones en esa área provocó una ola de protestas, incluso del Gobierno de México, a lo que Mayorkas respondió que la Administración de Biden considera que la construcción del muro fronterizo “no es la respuesta” adecuada para atender el fenómeno migratorio y reiteró que esta “posición nunca ha cambiado”.
Sin embargo, admitió que EE. UU. se ha visto obligado a continuar el proyecto de construcción de la barrera porque así fue aprobado por el Congreso en 2019, durante la Administración de Donald Trump (2017-2021), y estos fondos no se pueden desviar.
En el documento que autoriza la construcción, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) señaló que entre octubre de 2022 y agosto de este año las autoridades estadounidenses han detenido a más de 245.000 personas intentando cruzar la frontera con México en esta zona.
Los grupos advirtieron en la misiva que esta posición del Gobierno de Biden “sugiere una confusión grave”, por lo que instaron a echar hacia atrás las exenciones legales que han permitido la construcción y los nuevos planes para extender la barrera.
Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, speaks at a news conference held at the Muslim Community Center on Chicago's Northwest Side, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, for the family of Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, who was stabbed to death by their landlord in Plainfield Township. (Photo: AP/Jim Vondruska/Chicago Sun-Times)
An Illinois landlord accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy and seriously wounding his mother was charged with a hate crime after police and relatives said he singled out the victims because of their faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas.
In the Chicago-area case, officers found the 32-year-old woman and boy late Saturday morning at a home in an unincorporated area of Plainfield Township, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on social media.
Relatives and a Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group identified the slain boy as the wounded woman’s son.
The boy was pronounced dead at a hospital. The woman had multiple stab wounds and was expected to survive, according to the statement. An autopsy on the child showed he had been stabbed dozens of times.
The home where a boy was killed and a woman critically injured after they were stabbed by a man who targeted them because they were Muslim is shown in Plainfield, Ill., Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. (Photo: AP/Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times)
“Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis,” the sheriff’s statement said.
According to the Will County sheriff’s office, the woman had called 911 to report that her landlord had attacked her with a knife, adding she then ran into a bathroom and continued to fight him off.
The man suspected in the attack was found Saturday outside the home and “sitting upright outside on the ground near the driveway of the residence” with a cut on his forehead, authorities said.
Joseph M. Czuba, 71, of Plainfield was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crimes and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to the sheriff’s office. WLS-TV reported that Czuba was scheduled for an initial hearing on Monday afternoon at the county courthouse in Joliet, according to the Will County State’s Attorney Office.
Attempts to reach Czuba or a family member were unsuccessful Sunday. His home phone number was unlisted. Messages left for possible relatives in online records and on social media were not immediately returned. The sheriff’s office and county public defender’s office did not immediately return messages about Czuba’s legal representation.
Authorities did not release the names of the two victims.
Oday Al-Fayoume, father of Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, attends a news conference at the Muslim Community Center on Chicago’s Northwest Side, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. Authorities say a 71-year-old Illinois man has been charged with a hate crime, accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and seriously wounding a 32-year-old woman, in Plainfield Township, because of their Islamic faith and the Israel-Hamas war. The Council on American-Islamic Relations identified the victims as Wadea Al-Fayoume and his mother. (Photo: AP/Jim Vondruska/Chicago Sun-Times)
But the boy’s paternal uncle, Yousef Hannon, spoke at a news conference Sunday hosted by the Chicago chapter Council on American-Islamic Relations where the boy’s father was in attendance. There the boy was identified as Wadea Al-Fayoume, a Palestinian American boy who recently had turned 6. The organization identified the other victim as the boy’s mother.
“We are not animals, we are humans. We want people to see us as humans, to feel us as humans, to deal with us as humans, because this is what we are,” said Hannon, a Palestinian American who emigrated to the U.S. in 1999 to work, including as a public school teacher.
The Muslim civil liberties organization called the crime “our worst nightmare” and part of a disturbing spike in hate calls and emails since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. The group cited text messages exchanged among family members that showed the attacker had made disparaging remarks about Muslims.
This booking photo provided by the Will County Sheriff’s Office, in Joliet, Ill., shows Joseph M. Czuba. Authorities say Czuba has been charged with a hate crime, accused of fatally stabbing a young boy and seriously wounded a woman because of their Islamic faith and the Israel-Hamas war. (Photo: AP/Will County Sheriff’s Offic)
“Palestinians basically, again, with their hearts broken over what’s happening to their people,” said Ahmed Rehab, the group’s executive director, “have to also worry about the immediate safety of life and limb living here in this most free of democracies in the world.»
In response to the increased threats, the Illinois State Police are communicating with federal law-enforcement and reaching out to Muslim communities and religious leaders to offer support, according to a Sunday press release from Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker.
“To take a six-year-old child’s life in the name of bigotry is nothing short of evil,» Pritzker said. «Wadea should be heading to school in the morning. Instead, his parents will wake up without their son. This wasn’t just a murder — it was a hate crime. And every single Illinoisan — including our Muslim, Jewish, and Palestinian neighbors — deserves to live free from the threat of such evil.”
President Joe Biden echoed that sentiment Sunday, saying in a statement: “This horrific act of hate has no place in America, and stands against our fundamental values: freedom from fear for how we pray, what we believe, and who we are.”
The Justice Department opened a hate crime investigation into the events leading up to the attack, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
FBI Director Chris Wray said on a call with reporters Sunday that the FBI is also moving quickly to mitigate the threats.
A senior FBI official who spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Bureau said the majority of the threats that the FBI has responded to were not judged to be credible, adding that the FBI takes them all seriously nonetheless.
The official also said that agents have been encouraged to be “aggressive” and proactive in communicating over the last week with faith-based leaders. The official said the purpose is not to make anyone feel targeted but rather to ask clerics and others to report to law enforcement anything that seems suspicious.
Harvard graduate student Faith Chen, of Wilmette, Ill., left, places a sample of cobalt-based hybrid material in a calorimeter, a device that measures temperature changes, as Jarad Mason, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University, of Watertown, Mass., right, looks on, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in a lab on the school's campus, in Cambridge, Mass. The experiment is part of research to develop a more environmentally-friendly solid refrigerant that could be used as an alternative to existing volatile refrigerants. (Photo: AP/Steven Senne)
PHILADELPHIA.— When Jennifer Byrne, owner and technician at Comfy Heating and Cooling, gets a call to come and fix a relatively new air conditioning system, one of the first questions she asks is if the house has just been remodeled.
Here in West Philadelphia, Byrne has found shoddy renovations where installers skip steps such as pressure testing after installation. That can result in ice buildup and leaks of the chemicals that cool, called refrigerants.
“This problem is extremely frequent around here. Usually people tell you they bought a house that was flipped and all kinds of things are wrong, like the AC is freezing,” Byrne said, referring to the ice buildup.
«Trying to get it done as cheaply as possible,” she added, as she hauled equipment out of her truck.
It’s not a small matter. When refrigerants leak out like this, they are highly destructive to the Earth’s sensitive atmosphere. They’re “the most potent greenhouse gases known to modern science,” as one research paper put it and they’re growing fast.
One of the most common ones, with the unfriendly name R-410A, is 2,088 times more damaging to the climate than carbon dioxide, which comes from burning coal and gasoline. So an essential way that people are staying cool is making the world hotter and more unstable.
This is why the Clean Air Act prohibits the intentional release of most refrigerants. With the Environmental Protection Agency required to phase out one family of the chemicals 85% by 2036, the push is on to develop and spread cleaner alternatives.
Byrne’s truck is loaded with tools, canisters, hoses, and special sealed cylinders, including an industry-pink one that holds the potent R-410A. When she works on a leaking AC unit, she drains the remaining refrigerant into one of the cylinders for safe storage while she takes things apart.
But these leaking home AC units are just one way refrigerants seep into the atmosphere, measurably raising levels and contributing to increasing extreme weather.
Cars are another source of these super pollutants, says Eckhard Groll, an expert in refrigeration and head of mechanical engineering at Purdue University. AC systems in gas-powered vehicles are “prone to leaking” and on average approximately 25% of refrigerant from all cars leak out every year. With more than 200 million gasoline cars in the U.S. alone, Groll said that amounts to approximately 100 million pounds of refrigerant leaking out into the atmosphere each year.
Supermarkets are the second-biggest source of leaks because they are large and extensive piping carries refrigerant to each cold display case. Danielle Wright, executive director of the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council, an advocacy group, said the average supermarket leaks approximately 25% of its refrigerant each year, which agrees with an Environmental Protection Agency document from 2011.
“I wouldn’t say (supermarkets) are cutting corners necessarily, but let’s put it this way — it’s cheaper to leak the refrigerant than to build a leak-proof system,” Wright said.
The need to minimize refrigerant leaks has spurred a reuse and reclamation industry. One company is A-Gas Rapid Recovery, which has facilities in Dallas, Texas, Toledo, Ohio and Punta Gorda, Florida, among others.
Refrigerants can be used many times over and can last for 30 years, said Mike Armstrong, President of A-Gas in the Americas. The company takes in refrigerants and tanks from around the country and beyond, drains them, then purifies and reclaims the chemicals, shipping out recycled product.
“Some technicians back in the day would literally just cut the line and vent the gas to the atmosphere,” said Anthony Nash, an A-Gas network training manager. Now, «the EPA and the regulations that we fall under make that not only illegal, but unethical,” he said.
Refrigerant that cannot be reused goes through a very high-temperature process called pyrolysis so the gases are destroyed. Business is booming.
“This industry is probably going to increase four to five times in the next couple years,” Armstrong said.
SUSTAINABLE REPLACEMENTS
At the same time the chemical industry is looking for replacements. So far, some are much better for the climate, but could have other negatives, like being flammable, and their long-term impact on the environment isn’t known.
A number of researchers are looking at carbon dioxide itself as a refrigerant. But Groll noted it has to be under extremely high pressure, requiring different systems.
Carbon dioxide would be great “if we’re pulling it out of the atmosphere,” said Christopher Cappa, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of California, Davis. “But if we’re producing it just as a refrigerant, that wouldn’t be necessarily nearly as good.”
“One could think of a future where we move to a largely fossil-free economy and our primary source of carbon dioxide would be pulling it out of the atmosphere,” Cappa said.
Today, commercial buyers looking for cleaner refrigeration can find it. “This is kind of a low-hanging fruit, it’s a known technology and it’s market ready,” Wright said.
But it’s a different story with air conditioning. Wright claims that lobbying efforts from chemical and HVAC equipment manufacturers, as well as certain codes and standards, have stalled the growth of cleaner refrigerants for air conditioners in the U.S.
But one major manufacturer, Trane Technologies, said it has been working hard on cleaner alternatives, has selected one that is 78% less damaging than the current one, and will be phasing it into its units beginning in 2024.
Jarad Mason, an assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University, is working with fellow researchers to develop a refrigerant that’s actually a solid instead of a vapor. The mineral perovskite is good at absorbing heat under low pressure, allowing it to cool its surroundings.
Solid refrigerant research is in it’s infancy, but Mason said that he is optimistic about its potential because it could be used in fridges, commercial buildings and homes.
“Demands for heating and cooling are only going to increase and it’s absolutely critical that we have sustainable ways and economical ways of providing for everyone in the world,” he said.
This photo shows a sign of Rite Aid on its store in Pittsburgh on Jan. 23, 2023. Rite Aid, a major U.S. pharmacy chain, said Sunday, Oct. 15, that it has filed for bankruptcy as part of its effort to restructure its finances. (Photo: AP/Gene J. Puskar/File)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Rite Aid has filed for bankruptcy protection and plans to sell part of its business as it attempts to restructure while dealing with losses and opioid-related lawsuits.
The drugstore chain said late Sunday it also has obtained $3.45 billion in fresh financing from some of its lenders, which will help support the company through its voluntary Chapter 11 process.
The plan will “significantly reduce the company’s debt” while helping to “resolve litigation claims in an equitable manner,” Rite Aid said.
The company also said it expects to receive court approval for several motions it made to support its business. Those include paying employee wages and benefits without interruption. The company also said it still plans to pay vendors in full.
Rite Aid Corp. runs more than 2,100 stores in the United States, mostly on the East and West Coasts and has posted annual losses for several years.
The Philadelphia company, which is marking its 60th birthday this year, has been cutting costs and closing some stores as it has dealt with long-standing financial challenges.
The company, like its rivals, also faces financial risk from lawsuits over opioid prescriptions. Rite Aid already has reached several settlements, including one announced last year with the state of West Virginia for up to $30 million.
In March, the U.S. Justice Department intervened in a whistleblower lawsuit brought by former employees under the False Claims Act. Federal officials said in a statement that the drugstore chain filled “at least hundreds of thousands” of illegal prescriptions for drugs including opioids.
Rite Aid called the government’s claims “hyperbolic” in a subsequent motion to dismiss. The company said facts alleged in the case actually showed it exceeded regulatory requirements for diversion control.
Tough market conditions including tight prescription reimbursement and waning COVID-19 vaccine and testing business also have hit drugstores in recent quarters. But Rite Aid’s larger competitors have moved more aggressively into health care, opening clinics and adding other sources of revenue.
Walgreens and CVS Health, by contrast, each run about 9,000 locations or more in the U.S.
Drugstores also have been dealing with several issues that frustrate customers. They’ve handled prescription drug shortages, and they have struggled to fill their stores with enough pharmacists and technicians to run the pharmacies. CVS and Walgreens both have dealt with walkouts by pharmacy employees concerned about their growing workloads and lack of help.
Deutsche Bank analyst George Hill said in an August note that Rite Aid operates on a much thinner profit margin than its competitors and while it can pay costs to service its debt, it won’t be able to cover principal payments “based on the current trajectory of the business.”
Rite Aid said Sunday that it had reached an agreement with some key creditors on a financial restructuring plan to cut its debt and position itself for future growth and that the bankruptcy filing was part of that process.
The company also said it reached a deal to sell its small pharmacy benefits manager, Elixir, to MedImpact Healthcare Systems. Elixir runs prescription drug coverage and a specialty pharmacy among other services.
Rite Aid said MedImpact will serve as the “stalking horse bidder” in a court-supervised sale process.
The drugstore chain also said it will continue to look at its stores and close underperforming locations.
Jeffrey Stein, who heads a financial advisory firm, was appointed Rite Aid’s CEO, replacing Elizabeth Burr, who was interim CEO and remains on Rite Aid’s board. She had replaced Heyward Donigan, who left in January.
Rite Aid earlier reported that its revenue fell to $5.7 billion in the fiscal quarter that ended June 3, down from $6.0 billion a year earlier, logging a net loss of $306.7 million.
A few years ago, Rite Aid propped up its share price with a 1-for-20 reverse stock split that took more than a billion shares off the market. But the share price has slid for most of this year and tumbled back below $1 in August. The stock was at roughly 65 cents Monday morning.
Earlier this month, Rite Aid notified the New York Stock Exchange that it was not in compliance with listing standards. During a grace period, the company’s stock continues to be listed and traded.
Walgreens attempted to buy Rite Aid for about $9.4 billion in a deal announced in 2015. But the larger drugstore chain scaled back its ambition a couple years later and bought only a chunk of Rite Aid, around 1,900 stores, to get the deal past antitrust regulators.
In 2018, Rite Aid shares plunged after the company called off a separate merger with the grocer Albertsons, which is currently trying to merge with another grocer, Kroger.
Palestinos llevan a un herido en un ataque aéreo israelí en Khan Younis, en la Franja de Gaza, el lunes 16 de octubre de 2023. (Foto: AP/Fatima Shbair)
Los palestinos en la asediada Gaza abarrotaban el lunes escuelas y hospitales para buscar cobijo mientras se acababan el agua y la comida. Más de un millón de personas han huido de sus casas antes de una invasión israelí prevista para destruir a Hamas en represalia por un ataque miliciano en el sur de Israel.
Mientras se reducían las reservas de comida, agua y medicamentos en el enclave, todas las miradas apuntaban al cruce de Rafah entre Gaza y Egipto, donde camiones llenos de ayuda que se necesitaba con urgencia llevaban días esperando mientras los mediadores buscaban un alto el fuego que permitiera llevar la ayuda a Gaza y que los extranjeros salieran. El paso, la única conexión entre Gaza y Egipto, se cerró hace casi una semana debido a los ataques aéreos israelíes.
El ministro egipcio de Exteriores, Sameh Shoukry, dijo que Israel “no ha tomado una decisión de abrir el cruce desde el lado de Gaza”. El gobierno israelí no respondió a una petición de comentarios.
Cientos de miles de palestinos cobijados en instalaciones de Naciones Unidas disponían de menos de un litro (un cuarto) de agua al día. Los hospitales advirtieron que estaban al borde del colapso, casi sin medicamentos y a un día de que los generadores que mantenían máquinas como incubadoras y respiradores se quedaran sin combustible.
El Ministerio de Salud de Gaza informó de 2.750 palestinos muertos y 9.700 heridos desde que comenzaron los combates, más que en la guerra de Gaza de 2014, que duró unas seis semanas. Eso la convierte en la más mortal de las cinco guerras de Gaza para los dos bandos.
Más de 1.400 israelíes han muerto, la gran mayoría civiles asesinados en el ataque de Hamas del 7 de octubre. El ejército israelí dijo el lunes que había 199 personas capturadas por Hamas y retenidas en Gaza, una cifra superior a las estimaciones anteriores. El ejército no especificó las nacionalidades de los cautivos.
Personal palestino de defensa civil llora sobre el cuerpo de un colega, que llegó muerto al hospital de Shifa, después de que ataques aéreos israelíes atacaran un puesto de defensa civil en Ciudad de Gaza, en el centro de la Franja de Gaza, el lunes 16 de octubre de 2023. (Foto: AP/Abed Khaled)
Los ataques aéreos israelíes de la última semana han pulverizado vecindarios enteros mientras los cohetes milicianos seguían saliendo hacia Israel. Se esperaba que Israel emprendiera una ofensiva terrestre para matar a líderes de Hamas, recuperar rehenes y destruir la infraestructura militar del grupo, que en gran parte se encuentra en zonas residenciales.
Es probable que los combates calle a calle multipliquen las bajas en ambos bandos.
Israel ha ordenado a más de un millón de palestinos —casi la mitad del territorio— que se muevan al sur de Gaza. El ejército dice que intenta alejar a los civiles antes de una gran campaña contra Hamas en el norte, donde dice que los milicianos tienen extensas redes de túneles y lanzacohetes.
Hamas ha instado a la gente a quedarse en sus casas y el ejército israelí publicó fotos el domingo que según dijo mostraban un bloqueo de carretera de Hamas que impedía circular hacia el sur.
Por tercer día, el ejército israelí anunció un corredor seguro para que la gente se trasladara de norte a sur entre las 08:00 y el mediodía. Dijo que más de 600.000 personas habían evacuado ya la zona de Ciudad de Gaza.
Se estimaba que los hospitales en Gaza se quedarían sin combustible para los generadores en las próximas 24 horas, lo que ponía en peligro las vidas de miles de pacientes, según Naciones Unidas. La única central eléctrica de Gaza se apagó por falta de combustible después de que Israel bloqueara por completo el territorio de 40 kilómetros (25 millas) de largo tras el ataque de Hamas.
La Organización Mundial de la Salud dijo que los hospitales están “desbordados” mientras la gente busca un lugar seguro. “Nos preocupan los brotes de enfermedades debido al desplazamiento masivo y la escasez de agua y saneamiento”, indicó. Cuatro hospitales en el norte de Gaza ya no funcionan y 21 han recibido órdenes israelíes de evacuar. Los médicos se han negado, afirmando que supondría la muerte de enfermos graves y recién nacidos conectados a respiradores.
La decisión israelí de cortar el suministro de agua, junto con la falta de combustible para bombas y estaciones de desalinización, ha causado desabastecimiento y puesto en riesgo a 3.500 pacientes en 35 hospitales de todo el enclave.
“Hace falta agua para garantizar las condiciones higiénicas en las alas de pacientes ingresados, en salas de operaciones y unidades de urgencias. Es esencial para la prevención de infecciones asociadas a hospitales y para la prevención de brotes en los hospitales”, afirmó la OMS.
La agencia de salud de Naciones Unidas dijo que había material de ayuda vital para 300.000 pacientes esperando a recibir luz verde para cruzar por Rafah.
En torno a un millón de personas —aproximadamente la mitad de la población de Gaza— ha abandonado sus casas en poco más de una semana. Algunos se dirigieron al sur, mientras que cientos de miles seguían cobijados en hospitales e instalaciones de la ONU en el norte, según naciones Unidas. Viajar por Gaza es difícil y peligroso, hay carreteras destruidas e Israel abre ventanas de tiempo pequeñas para que los civiles viajen sin temor a bombardeos.
La agencia de la ONU para los refugiados palestinos dijo que se había visto obligada a racionar el agua en sus escuelas y otras instalaciones y daba a la gente apenas un litro (un cuarto) de agua al día para cubrir todas sus necesidades.
Israel ha dicho que no se levantará el asedio hasta que Hamas libere a todos los cautivos, aunque el Ministerio de Agua del país dijo que se había restablecido el agua corriente en “un punto específico” de Gaza, en un lugar a las afueras de la población sureña de Khan Younis. Cooperantes en Gaza dijeron no haber visto pruebas aún de que volviera a llegar agua.
Mientras tanto, el ejército israelí ordenó a la población que evacuara 28 poblaciones cerca de la frontera libanesa tras un creciente fuego transfronterizo entre Israel y el grupo armado libanés Hezbollah. La orden militar afectaba a las localidades en un espacio de 2 kilómetros desde la frontera.
La evacuación permitirá a las fuerzas israelíes actuar con más margen, dijo el contraalmirante Daniel Hagari, vocero militar. “Israel está lista para operar en dos frentes, e incluso más”, dijo. “Si Hezbollah comete el error de ponernos a prueba, la respuesta será letal”.
Milicianos de Hezbollah lanzaron cohetes y un misil antitanque el domingo e Israel respondió con ataques aéreos y artillería. El ejército israelí también reportó disparos en uno de sus puestos fronterizos. Al menos una persona murió en el lado israelí y varias resultaron heridas en los dos bandos.
Una mujer palestina reacciona junto a varios heridos en el hospital Al-Aqsa de Deir el-Balah, en el centro de la Franja de Gaza, el domingo 15 de octubre de 2023. (Foto: AP/Adel Hana)
Un dron israelí lanzó dos misiles el domingo por la noche en una colina al oeste de la localidad de Kfar Kila, en el sur de Líbano, según la estatal Agencia Nacional de Noticias. No se reportaron bajas en los ataques, que golpearon un centro militar libanés.
Hezbollah dijo en un comunicado que había lanzado cohetes hacia una posición militar en la localidad fronteriza norteña de Shtula en represalia por los ataques israelíes que mataron el viernes al camarógrafo de Reuters Issam Abdallah y el sábado a dos civiles libaneses. La milicia dijo que el incremento del fuego era una “advertencia” y no significaba que Hezbollah hubiera decidido entrar en la guerra.
El el puerto de Haifa, en el norte de Israel, el gobierno estadounidense empezó a evacuar a unos 2.500 ciudadanos estadounidenses por mar a Chipre. Las aerolíneas comerciales han suspendido en su mayor parte los vuelos al aeropuerto internacional israelí de Ben-Gurion, lo que hace muy difícil salir del país.
El secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Antony Blinken, llegó a Israel por segunda vez en una semana, según el Departamento de Estado, tras completar una frenética gira por seis países árabes para impedir que los combates desencadenen un conflicto regional más amplio.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, también valoraba viajar a Israel, aunque no se habían concretado planes al respecto. En una entrevista televisada el domingo por la noche, Biden, que ha reiterado su apoyo a Israel, dijo sin embargo que sería un “gran error” que el país volviera a ocupar Gaza.
Los embajadores de Israel ante Estados Unidos y Naciones Unidas dijeron el mismo día que el país no busca una ocupación. Pero Israel hará “lo que haga falta para destruir las capacidades (de Hamas)”, dijo el embajador ante la ONU, Gilad Erdan, a la CNN.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, left, runs the ball with New York Jets' C.J. Mosley in pursuit during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Jalen Hurts stepped back as the pocket began closing around him and launched a pass over the middle that sealed the game.
But for the New York Jets instead of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Hurts’ throw intended for Dallas Goedert was intercepted by Tony Adams and returned 45 yards to the Eagles 8 before Breece Hall ran it in for what turned out to be the winning score in New York’s 20-14 victory Sunday.
“I had an opportunity and I didn’t do my job on the play,» said Hurts, who matched a career worst with three interceptions. «I don’t think I made the correct read on it. It happens and it’s an opportunity for us to learn from it.”
The loss was the first of the season for the Eagles (5-1), who were the NFL’s lone undefeated team after San Francisco lost to Cleveland earlier in the day. It was also Philadelphia’s first defeat against the Jets after winning the first 12 meetings.
Four turnovers, including a lost fumble by D’Andre Swift, can flip even the most seemingly lopsided of matchups.
“We have to look at everything and fix everything,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “Sometimes after bad losses, there is a great time for growth. That’s what our mission will be: to grow from this.”
Sirianni said he didn’t need to say much when he entered the locker room after the game. The players — and coaches — knew they had blown it.
“You look at this game,” Hurts said, “you have so many missed opportunities and really so many mistakes as if you’re kind of giving it away.”
The Eagles got the ball back after Hall’s touchdown with 1:46 left, but couldn’t do anything against a Jets defense that stymied them all game.
Hurts threw two incomplete passes before connecting with DeVonta Smith for a 2-yard gain. Facing fourth-and-8 from the Eagles 27, Hurts launched a deep pass for Smith but it was knocked away by Jordan Whitehead and ended Philadelphia’s chances.
“Whenever the game is within reach, mistakes are magnified,” said center Jason Kelce, who set the franchise record with his 145th consecutive regular-season start. “We’ve been disciplined and handled things well down the stretch. We didn’t necessarily do that and it ended up hurting us today.”
Philadelphia’s defense came up big several times against Zach Wilson and the Jets’ offense, which was able to turn New York’s first three takeaways into only three points.
Then came the disastrous final turnover by Hurts with the game on the line.
“I’m going to have to see that play again and see if there was something that flushed him out of the pocket,” Sirianni said. «He had to hold it for a tick longer. It looked like they played some kind of cover-4. We had a completion on that play earlier in the drive.
“I know Jalen is going to want that play back. I thought that was pretty much the only turnover that was on him.”
The first was an interception by Quinnen Williams in the second quarter after Hurts’ pass to Goedert was deflected by Jermaine Johnson and into the Jets defensive tackle’s hands. New York failed to score after the takeaway.
Swift had a 4-yard catch late in the first half when he had the ball knocked out of his arms by C.J. Mosley and recovered by Quincy Williams. The Jets got a 35-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 14-6.
With Philadelphia leading 14-12, Bryce Hall picked off Hurts early in the fourth quarter on another pass defensed by Johnson. The Jets went three-and-out on their next series — and the Eagles had a chance to widen the margin, but Jake Elliott missed a 37-yard field goal attempt.
That opened the door for New York to complete the comeback.
The Eagles will try to bounce back next Sunday night at home against Miami, which is also 5-1 and has scored 31 or more points in four of the victories.
“Something happened that kind of stalled drives,” Kelce said, “but we’ve got to, just everybody, look in the mirror and try to get better for next week.”
Breece Hall, centro, corredor de los Jets de Nueva York, reacciona después de anotar un touchdown durante la segunda mitad del juego de la NFL en contra de los Eagles de Filadelfia, el domingo 15 de octubre de 2023, en East Rutherford, Nueva Jersey. (AP Foto/Adam Hunger)
EAST RUTHERFORD, Nueva Jersey, EE.UU. (AP) — Breece Hall corrió para una anotación de ocho yardas con 1:46 por jugar, una jugada después de que Tony Adams le interceptó un pase a Jalen Hurts y los Jets de Nueva York resistieron para vencer a los previamente invictos Eagles de Filadelfia 20-14 el domingo.
Los Jets (3-3) parecían enfilados a ponerse 0-13 en su historia en contra de los Eagles, pero la tercera intercepción del partido a Hurts, y cuarto balón perdido de Filadelfia, fue regresado 45 yardas para poner a Nueva York en posición de anotar.
El acarreo de Hall estremeció el estadio MetLife con los fanáticos de los Jets enloqueciendo cuando Zack Wilson conectó con Randall Cobb para la conversión de dos puntos.
Los Eagles (5-1) tuvieron una oportunidad más de ganar cuando tuvieron nuevamente el balón, pero la defensiva respondió, como hizo todo el juego. Un pase largo de Hurts a DeVonta Smith en cuarta oportunidad fue bateado y Wilson y la ofensiva entraron para poner rodilla en piso dos veces para sellar una victoria improbable.
Hurts terminó con 28 de 45 pases para 280 yardas y un touchdown, pero sufrió tres intercepciones ante la defensiva de los Jets que no contó con los cornerbacks Sauce Gardner y D.J. Reed.
Wilson completó 19 de 33 para 186 yardas sin touchdowns, pero tampoco cometió pérdidas de balón.
Un hombre mató ayer sábado en las afueras de Chicago (EE.UU.) a un niño de seis años y dejó a su madre gravemente herida en lo que las autoridades califican como un crimen de odio, ya que las víctimas eran musulmanas y el agresor afirmó actuar en respuesta a la guerra entre Israel y Hamás.
El hombre, de 71 años, ha sido acusado de varios cargos, incluidos el de asesinato y delito de odio, detalló la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Will en un comunicado publicado en Facebook.
Según el comunicado, el niño fue apuñalado 26 veces en todo su cuerpo con un cuchillo de estilo militar de 30 centímetros. El menor fue trasladado a un hospital en condición crítica y allí sucumbió a sus heridas.
La madre sufrió más de una docena de heridas de arma blanca en su cuerpo y se encuentra recuperándose en el hospital.
El autor del ataque, identificado por las autoridades como Joseph M. Czuba, se negó a proporcionar información a los detectives sobre el motivo de sus acciones.
Sin embargo, la oficina del Sheriff ha concluido que atacó a las víctimas por su religión musulmana y por la guerra que se libra entre Israel y las milicias palestinas de la Franja de Gaza, en particular el grupo islamista Hamás.
El autor del ataque era el propietario de la vivienda donde la familia vivía de alquiler, detalló la oficina del Sheriff.
El Consejo de las Relaciones Estadounidense-Islámicas (CAIR, en inglés), dedicado a la defensa de los derechos de los musulmanes en EE.UU., condenó el ataque y afirmó que se trata de su «peor pesadilla».
«Tenemos el corazón afligido, y nuestras oraciones están con el niño y su madre», manifestó en un comunicado el director de CAIR en Chicago, Ahmed Rehab.
El crimen se produce en un momento en el que las autoridades estadounidenses están en alerta ante la posibilidad de que la violencia en Israel y la Franja de Gaza desemboque en actos contra la comunidad judía o musulmana en Estados Unidos.
IN PENNSYLVANIA A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT IS A LEGAL RIGHT
Hispanic Heritage Month officially ends on October 15, and to conclude the series of special editions honoring Latinos from the region and the celebrations, Impacto spoke with the highest-ranking Latino in the State of Pennsylvania, being the only one who is part of the cabinet of Gov. Josh Shapiro, a nationally high-profile Democrat.
The Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection ( DEP ), Richard Negrin, made his objective clear and how he intends to do it. It works to intervene proactively, with the goal of preventing further environmental crises from occurring.
The DEP vision has four pillars: Operational Excellence – Climate Leadership – Cultural Competence – Environmental Justice.
Rich is a well-known face in Philadelphia, he was vice mayor during the administration of Michael Nutter, standing out from other officials, and he left his mark on many of its inhabitants, especially among the most vulnerable.
That is why he enthusiastically accepted the new assignment. Fundamentally, Rich is a gladiator in defense of those who suffer and those who are discriminated against; he knows that identifying a common purpose and working as a team is the basis for success.
His outstanding achievements range from his past as an American football player, to the ones that are beginning to germinate, sowing hope in children and adolescents who are listening to him speak about their civil right to a healthy environment and the importance each of them has to defend it, thus calming the anxiety that the climate crisis, which is increasingly affecting local communities, could be causing them.
SOMETHING PERSONAL
The rate of Latinos with asthma is as disproportionate as it is alarming. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, “In 2019, approximately one in four Hispanics, one in five non-Hispanic Blacks, and one in seven non-Hispanic Whites reported lifetime asthma.” This is not coincidental.
Rich’s mother has dealt with this disease her entire life. “I grew up with a mother with asthma in a community where there was a lot of smoke in the air.” He says that his sister also had asthma and that he missed a year of school because of it.
“I grew up in an environmental justice community without knowing it as a child; I was born in Newark and grew up near the Port Elizabeth oil refinery. At the end of the street where I played football, about half a block away, was the largest oil refinery on the East Coast, and also a major eight-lane highway less than 100 yards from the back of my yard, a railroad, a junkyard two blocks away and a funeral home.”
He considers that the community is not fully aware that someone somewhere made decisions without involving those affected so that they could ensure that everything was done with equity and justice.
For Rich, Environmental Justice is something personal, which is why his wide and diverse experience is useful in fulfilling his objective. He wants this administration’s legacy to be to have effectively combated the climate crisis and the social injustice that lies at its origin.
He stresses that he is currently facing the legacy of bad policies. “There is lead in paint, pipes, and asbestos in our schools. Affluent communities could eliminate that 20 or 30 years ago when the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts were passed in 1972. Communities that had the means and ability started cleaning up, but our communities were left behind.”
INTERDISCIPLINARY EXPERIENCES WITH DIFFERENT APPROACHES
As a young lawyer at Morgan Lewis, he represented clients on environmental and regulatory issues.
“My job was to keep my clients out of trouble… I represented clean energy companies… that was where my education about the environment began. And then, when I was City Manager, people pointed out a lot of the great things we did around public safety and quality of life, and all of that matters, but we also ran the Greenworks program and planted more trees in Philadelphia than any administration before ours. “I was the first city manager to install an electric charging station in our fleet department.” At the time, Mayor Nutter was on President Obama’s environmental committee.
Rich is aware that mobilizing communities is essential to combat climate change, but he knows how difficult it is since “when you are worried about putting food on the table, clothing your children, and making sure they walk to school safely, you don’t necessarily think about air quality.” He emphasizes that they cannot afford to move. There is no social safety net to say: “I am going to take my family to a better environment because where you live should not determine the quality of life around you.” That is why we have to intervene massively from all levels, especially from officials.
At the age of 13, Rich Negrin witnessed the murder of his father, Eulalio José Negrin. His stepfather, Raúl Cordero, was a pastor. He shares his values, and he is a man of faith. On the day of his swearing-in, he invited Franklin Kury to hold the Bible of his stepfather, who died three years ago of COVID. (Photo: Courtesy/DEP)
PENNSYLVANIA AT THE FOREFRONT
Pennsylvania is one of the three states in the American Union that has elevated the protection of natural resources to one of its civil rights.
The amendment of Article One, Section 27, made it a constitutional right. “We did it in 1971, 50 years ago. “Montana did it a couple of years after us; New York did it about three years ago.”
That policy update had green amendments on March 27, 2023. More states continue their efforts to make a healthy environment a legal right. Pennsylvania is in the leadership of this crusade of *Green Amendments to the defense of the environment based on environmental justice.
In the U.S., millions of people lack access to clean water, and nearly everyone around the world is regularly exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution. By establishing a healthy environment as a basic civil right, government authorities are pressured to protect environmental health.
Art 1, 27. Natural resources and public goods. The people have the right to clean air, pure water, and the preservation of the environment’s natural, scenic, historical, and aesthetic values. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all people, including generations to come. As custodian of these resources, the Commonwealth will conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people. (May 18, 1971, PL769, JR3)
What makes Pennsylvania unique is its rich energy heritage. Titusville is the first place where an oil well was drilled, along with gas extraction, making Pennsylvania pioneers in this industry. But communities were built on top of abandoned oil wells across the state. “Those are environmental justice communities too.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Acting Secretary Rich Negrin joins Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 3 Administrator Adam Ortiz, PENNVEST Chairman Dr. Brian Regli, and local government partners to celebrate Earth Month and highlight the partnership between federal, state, and local governments to fight climate change, in Harrisburg, PA on April 14, 2023.
REGIONAL LEADERSHIP
In 2021, the Sixth Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that in less than two decades, the temperature will increase by 1.5 °C, but that if greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are not reduced, the temperature could rise by up to 4.5 °C by the year 2100.
The latest IPCC report reminds us that the environmental crisis is global, but the effects are local.
One of the main actions to address this problem, which affects poor countries more, even though the rich ones pollute more, is public awareness to take action and get governments and private initiatives to do so as well.
Rich is leading the region in a conversation with all Mid-Atlantic secretaries. “Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, we were all together for two days working with the EPA and Region Three, talking about our strategies.”
Regarding the historically poor air quality a few months ago, he says, “There were no Democrats or Republicans when we were in a purple air quality alert. We were all just trying to be healthy and safe.”
However, not everyone is affected by these crises in the same way, as there are those who are extremely disadvantaged. “It’s about life expectancy… you can see it right here in Philadelphia, but across Pennsylvania, there is a 20- to 25-year life expectancy gap.”
Rich gives the example of the Society Hill area, a couple of miles north of Philadelphia, where people live to be 80 years old, but in the north, where mostly black and brown people live, the expectation reaches the most vulnerable population of 60 years old. “That’s not justice,” he objects.
“The difference is access to good health care… there are quality of life and public safety issues in poor communities… the environment is part of it.”
“It is about the inherited environmental problems that we have generated due to the society we have created and the socioeconomic problems we have. It is the opposite of the red line; when they created that red line and said:
‘We’re going to give you a mortgage, and you can live in this neighborhood, but you can’t live in that affluent one… you need to live in the underserved one, and we’re going to put all the bad things in that one.’”
Pennsylvania participates in the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, which is part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The program provides grants to state and local government entities to develop climate action plans and makes them eligible to receive grants from the $4.6 billion pool established by the IRA and administered by the EPA.
INTERCONNECTED INTENTIONALITY
The Infrastructure Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the climate bills addressing their improvement are important federal targets for billions of dollars of investment.
Rich says President Biden and Governor Shapiro understand this very well. Adam Ortiz is the regional administrator of the EPA; for the first time, he is a Latino. “He and I work very well together; we are aligned in what we are doing… when they first make these big federal bills where literally hundreds of millions of dollars are sent to states and local communities, they are thinking about environmental justice. 40% of the spending will go to environmental justice communities. And they’re also thinking about something else that’s so important to Josh: workforce development.”
Rich highlights that it is usually left to local people and lower-level people, but now they want to create avenues for workforce development and training programs.
“I have never had a situation where they throw money at me. It has always been the opposite. I have hundreds of millions of dollars, and I can plan how to program them, how to spend them, how to give them back to our communities, and how to work with our local partners to make sure we are impacting everyone… we are going to be able to do that and put people to work.”
Courtesy Secretary Rich Negrin
TRANSIT TO A CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY
This is a transition to a clean energy economy where you can learn how to build solar and cover wells in Pennsylvania. “You can learn how to get the lead pipes that are there out of the ground. We can build an infrastructure around a major jobs program around all of that… During the Obama years, during the Great Recovery Act, it used to be about being “Shovel ready”; now, we need to be “people ready!”
When he worked in the government in Philadelphia, Rich remembered what a heat wave meant. “We knew that every time we had a record hot day, we were going to lose people, people were going to die, people who were living in poverty, people locked up, people who were alone.”
Last August was the hottest month on record in Pennsylvania. The second warmest month was July, and the third warmest month was June. We had three of the hottest months in Pennsylvania history, and it’s going to happen more and more. We’re seeing extreme weather, with drought warnings for about three months, and then we get about three months of rain in a couple of days, causing flash and catastrophic flooding.
The drought causes the forest fires that are seen everywhere. According to the official, wildfires in Pennsylvania have tripled this year. He adds that COVID showed that the climate crisis will affect vulnerable populations the most. “They can’t move, they don’t have air conditioning, they will be subjected to the heat in a way that others are not.”
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH SPOTLIGHTS WOMEN
Carolina DiGiorgio is the current attorney for the Department. “We incorporated her into the board of directors of Congreso when she was a young lawyer. She has experience in the community and is doing a great job. She is the first Latina with that position.”
Recently, Rich mentions that, in front of lawyers at the Hispanic Bar Association, he paused to talk about the environment, “I talked about climate change, about environmental justice… but I said, I want to talk a little bit about our Latinas because we are not where we need to be in equal pay. That’s one of the things I did when we came in the first month, review our salaries and make sure they were aligned; from an equity perspective, we all need to do that, especially law firms.”
Due to the wage gap, Latinaswith a professional degree will earn $2.5 million less throughout their career.
Within his team, he highlights that he has Latinos of diverse origins working. A Cuban, a Nicaraguan, a Mexican, Honduras, Dominican Republic; “Many of us have faced the same challenges or the same situation, so we are making real progress.”
Under Rich’s administration, Fernando Treviño is leading a new undersecretary of Environmental Justice, focused on one of the priorities of the Federal and State Administration.
Secretary Negrin recognizes several positive actions for Latinos by the Government of Pennsylvania. The Shapiro administration has made three main actions that have benefited Hispanics:
– A historic budget for education of 10 billion dollars.
– 10,000 jobs are expected to be created that will also benefit Philadelphia.
– Investment of $36 million in small businesses and minority ventures.
Regarding immigrants, he points out that: “You want people to come and do the right thing. You want them to play by the rules. You want them to come out of the shadows. Let’s they’re legitimate enough for you to hire to pick your food and work your yard. It should be legitimate enough to drive with a legal driver’s license”.
STOP CLIMATE DEATHS
Last summer, children in the Philadelphia suburbs were torn from their parents’ hands by flash floods. “Those are climate deaths here in Pennsylvania.” He said.
“I want to make people aware of their rights and create an army of climate warriors who think about the climate every day, who make good decisions every day so that we transition, not only to electric vehicles but that we are in transition to a clean energy economy. I want young people who grow up and are enthusiastic about working for the environment. I think when I talk to them, they understand it, and they want to make a difference. There is no issue more important than the weather right now. We are the first generation to feel the significant impacts of climate change.”
He emphasizes that there is no time to waste and that equipping young people with a purpose in life will make it easier to take weapons out of their hands.
Rich is building a green army and calls on everyone, especially young people, to be part of the generation that changed the course of history.
«Many years ago, Philadelphia hosted the dawn of a new democracy. Today, a new era of a clean energy future was announced here in Philadelphia. Proud to stand with @POTUS President Biden & @GovernorShapiro to announce the new Hydrogen Hub in PA. The world is watching, and the future of clean energy starts right here in PA. A near 50 billion investment in clean hydrogen infrastructure, a well-trained and skilled workforce, and a better clean energy future. Congrats to Philly Project Lead Manny Citron it was great putting the band back together. So honored to play our small role. So proud of you. #TeamDEP is ready to go!» Rich Negrin/Linkedin.
* A Green Amendment is an amendment to a state constitution’s bill of rights that guarantees its citizens the inalienable right to clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment.
El Departamento de Estado de EE.UU. anunció este domingo el nombramiento de David Satterfield come enviado especial para Asuntos Humanitarios de Medio Oriente, donde se encargará de coordinar la llegada de ayuda humanitaria a la Franja de Gaza.
El secretario de Estado de EE.UU., Antony Blinken, señaló hoy, según informa el New York Times, que el veterano diplomático llegará a la región el lunes para comenzar de inmediato su labor, en momentos en que continúan las negociaciones para permitir el paso de ayuda humanitaria a Gaza a través del paso de Rafah, bajo control de Egipto.
Según señaló hoy en un comunicado el asesor de Seguridad Nacional de la Casa Blanca, Jake Sullivan, el embajador Satterfield «se concentrará en garantizar que la asistencia vital pueda llegar a las personas vulnerables en todo Medio Oriente».
El Departamento de Estado de EE.UU. anunció este domingo el nombramiento de David Satterfield como enviado especial para Asuntos Humanitarios de Medio Oriente, Archivo. EFE/Matthew Cavanaugh
Esto incluye «la asistencia humanitaria que se necesita con urgencia para el pueblo palestino, particularmente en Gaza», en coordinación con la ONU, Egipto, Jordania e Israel, entre otros.
El Enviado Especial de Estados Unidos para Asuntos Humanitarios de Medio Oriente cuenta con una dilatada experiencia, que incluye su mediación en «algunos de los conflictos más desafiantes del mundo», recalcó Sullivan, y será clave en la prioridad de la Administración del presidente, Joe Biden, de abordar los problemas humanitarios en la región.
El nombramiento se da a conocer el mismo día en que Blinken sostuvo una «muy buena conversación», según dijo, con el presidente de Egipto, Abdelfatah al Sisi, en la que abordaron la apertura del paso de Rafah, el único que no está bajo control de Israel, para la salida de ciudadanos extranjeros y palestinos con doble nacionalidad, incluidos estadounidenses, y sus familiares desde Gaza.
El Cairo condiciona el desbloqueo del paso fronterizo a que se permita primero el acceso de ayuda humanitaria a la Franja de Gaza, bajo asedio israelí desde el ataque sorpresa cometido por el grupo islamista Hamás el pasado sábado.
De acuerdo a las cifras dadas a conocer hoy por las autoridades palestinas, unas 2.600 personas han muerto desde que comenzaron los ataques de Israel en la Franja de Gaza y otras 9.200 han resultado heridas.
Archivo. EFE/ Mark Garten/UN vía EFE-UGI/img
MIENTRAS TANTO LA ONU LLAMA UN ALTO AL FUEGO
La asesora especial de la ONU para la prevención del genocidio, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, pidió este domingo un alto el fuego «de manera inmediata» en la Franja de Gaza y la liberación de los rehenes capturados por el grupo islamista Hamás.
«No se debe escatimar ningún esfuerzo para dar un paso adelante en dirección a la paz. Solo a través del diálogo se pueden afrontar los problemas latentes que han llevado a la violencia cíclica en el pasado», dijo Wairimu en un comunicado.
La asesora mostró una gran preocupación por la escalada del conflicto entre Hamás e Israel, y avisó de que el «castigo colectivo» no puede ser nunca la respuesta.
En este sentido, Wairimu se encuentra «especialmente alarmada por el lanzamiento indiscriminado de misiles por parte de Hamás hacia territorio israelí, y por la pérdida de vidas civiles causada por los bombardeos de Israel en la Franja de Gaza», explicó su oficina en el escrito.
Según los últimos datos de las autoridades palestinas, más de 2.600 personas han muerto como consecuencia de los bombardeos israelíes de la Franja, totalmente bloqueada en respuesta a un ataque sorpresa de Hamás el pasado sábado que dejó más de 1.200 muertos del lado israelí.
La experta pidió al grupo islamista que libere a los rehenes que desde entonces mantiene en el territorio «como señal de buena voluntad» para prevenir la escalada del conflicto.
También pidió a todos los grupos con influencia sobre el liderazgo de Hamás que animen al grupo a dar ese paso.
