Shell-shocked Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip have questioned the inexplicable bombings which are being conducted by Israel on schools housing scores of innocent families, with many becoming increasingly desperate for their lives as seemingly nowhere is safe from these targeted Israeli attacks.
The United Nations estimates that around 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.1 million population have been forcibly displaced amid Israel's military attacks. Many Gazans are now residing in school buildings that have been turned into makeshift shelters, but these appear to no longer be safe spaces either, due to the frequency of ongoing Israeli airstrikes.
Since the beginning of August, at least 13 schools that have taken in those seeking safety have been subject to attacks, the worst of which came on Saturday when over 100 people were killed. The bombings have provoked widespread anger across the Middle East, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the continued loss of life in Gaza.
At the Al-Ramla School, half of the building has been reduced to rubble by Israeli shelling. However, with nowhere else to go, many families are still choosing to stay there temporarily and hope for the best.
"We came from the Shuja'iyya neighborhood. We used to live in the Dalal al-Maghribi School, which was bombed ten days ago. We had to move here after that. You can see that this school is badly damaged. There are only ten classrooms and ten to twelve families living there. The building next to us was attacked two days ago. The Al-Zahraa School that is less than 20 to 30 meters away from us was also attacked a few days ago," Omar Sukkar, a displaced man told China Central Television (CCTV).
According to figures published by the Hamas-run Gaza government media office on Monday, since the conflict erupted on October 7 last year, 175 shelters have been attacked by the Israeli army, including over 150 schools housing displaced people.
The attacks come as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) alleges some Palestinian militants are operating inside these schools or are using them as command centers, but for many of the traumatized civilians living here, such accusations seem hard to fathom.
"The Israeli army claims there are resistance forces, political or military personnel here. Where are the military personnel? Look at these buildings. Is there anything here? Where are the 'commanders' or so-called 'armed personnel'? How they came to such a conclusion? Please explain. There are only children in the attacked school," said Hamza Al-Skafi, another displaced man sheltering in the school.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza has now risen to nearly 40,000, the Gaza-based health authorities said on Tuesday.
Displaced Palestinians left desperate, dismayed as Israel targets school shelters
Displaced Palestinians left desperate, dismayed as Israel targets school shelters
Displaced Palestinians left desperate, dismayed as Israel targets school shelters
Displaced Palestinians left desperate, dismayed as Israel targets school shelters
A potential trade deal between United States and China, the world's two largest economies, could benefit not only the two sides but also the global economy as a whole, said renowned British entrepreneur Martin Sorrell on Tuesday.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the sideline of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sorrell, the Founder and Executive Chairman of the digital advertising and marketing services provider S4 Capital, shared his perspective on the evolving global economic landscape.
He said that the world is facing slower economic growth and highlighted the U.S. and China as key players for driving global economic expansion.
"You look at the world in a different way. You focus on where the growth is. So where's the growth going to be? The U.S. is going to be strong. The U.S. economy, S and P 500 Earnings this year will be up 11 percent, that's the forecast; next year, 7 percent. That's the biggest determinant of advertising growth is corporate profitability be strong, so the U.S. will be strong. Asia, very strong. If you're big in China, like Apple or Tesla, or indeed LV, you want to be bigger; If you are small in China or underweight, you probably want to be bigger. So with that one caveat, China is obviously remains really important," said Sorrell.
Donald Trump, who was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, has repeatedly vowed to implement additional tariffs on a broad range of trading partners, including China.
Noting that the combined GDP of the U.S. and China has reached 46 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for over 40 percent of the global total of 106 trillion U.S. dollars, Sorrell suggested that Trump's business instincts could lead him to negotiate a trade deal with China, benefiting both countries and the global economy.
"The U.S. is 28 trillion [U.S. dollars]; China, 18 trillion out of 106 [trillion], so 46 [trillion], by far the biggest part of the world economy. I think Europe is about 18 [trillion] as a whole, but no individual countries like this. So that's the most important issue. There seems to be a bit of delay in relation in considering Chinese tariffs, may be going first on Canada and Mexico rather than China. So maybe we'll see, maybe there is the hope of a deal. And I hope there will be a deal, because I think it will be good for the world, and for obviously, for both economists, they would if it happens. President Trump wrote the book, the Art of the Deal, and he's a negotiator, and he wants to do the best financially for America, and financially for America maybe a deal with China in trade is the best thing," he said.
In terms of China's economic outlook, Sorrell said he expects the Chinese economy to strengthen, adding that he thinks China will shift its trade policy to focus more on the markets that take up nearly 60 percent of the global GDP.
"My view is that it is a multipolar world. And the Americans, I can say this as British, the Americans and indeed the British have got to understand that the plates are shifting, that the Global South, the BRICS, the Next 11 are becoming more important. I look forward to a world which will be not dominated by the West, the hegemonic West, or the U.S., but more balanced and more nuanced. And I think that's what we have to get used to. I expect the Chinese economy to strengthen. China was going to alter its trade policy to emphasize that 60 trillion that is outside China and the U.S. I said it was 46 [trillion]. the world is 106. So there's 60 trillion of GDP in Latin America, in Africa, in Europe, in Asia Pacific that China can develop," said Sorrell.
Potential China-US trade deal could benefit world economy: British entrepreneur