United News of Bangladesh

Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania says her new film about six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed during the war in Gaza, was made as a way to confront helplessness and bear witness to her story. Ben Hania said she decided to make the film after hearing an emergency phone call recording of Hind pleading for help while trapped in Gaza City in 2024. “They’re shooting at me. Please come get me. I’m scared,” the girl is heard saying in the recording, which forms the centrepiece of the docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab, released in UK cinemas last week. The two-time Oscar-nominated director said the recording deeply affected her and prompted her to pause another project she was working on. “It haunted me,” Ben Hania told the BBC. “I was angry, sad and felt helpless. I asked myself what I could do. I am a filmmaker, so I make films.” She said the project was a way “not to accept, to bear witness” and to ensure Hind’s voice is heard beyond borders. Hind Rajab was travelling with her family when their car was hit during Israeli military operations in Gaza. Several relatives were killed. Hind later spoke by phone with volunteers from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, who tried to guide an ambulance to reach her. The ambulance was also struck, and Hind, her family members and two paramedics were killed. Independent investigations by Forensic Architecture, Earshot and journalists from Al Jazeera concluded that damage to the car and ambulance was consistent with Israeli tank fire. The Israel Defence Force said the case is still under review by its Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism. The film tells the story from the perspective of Red Crescent call centre workers in Ramallah who tried to keep Hind calm as they worked to secure a safe route for rescuers. It combines real audio from Hind’s final calls with a dramatized reconstruction using actors. Ben Hania said the film is “based on true events” and is intended to provoke empathy rather than serve as an investigation. “Cinema can do something better, which is provoking empathy,” she said. The film has received strong reactions from critics and audiences, including a record 23-minute standing ovation at its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. It has also been nominated for best foreign language film at the Golden Globe Awards and is shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination. Ben Hania said she hopes the film will ensure that Hind Rajab is not forgotten. “This is not just a story,” she said. “This is history in the making.”   With inputs from BBC

Israeli settlers on Monday inaugurated a new settlement on a hilltop overlooking the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour in the occupied West Bank, marking the formal recognition of what had until recently been an unauthorised outpost. The settlement, named “Yatziv,” meaning “stable” in Hebrew, was set up with prefabricated homes in November and received official approval last month. The inauguration was held under heavy security, with Israeli soldiers deployed around the site as settlers gathered for the ceremony. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who oversees Israeli settlement policy, attended the event and said the new settlement would be permanent. He has led an expanded programme of settlement construction and legalisation of outposts over the past three years. Settlers have long sought control of the hilltop, citing its location in a chain of settlements surrounding Jerusalem and its historical significance to Jews. The move gained momentum after a deadly stabbing attack on an Israeli at a nearby junction late last year, according to settlement leaders. On Dec 21, Smotrich approved Yatziv along with 18 other outposts, bringing an end to a two-decade campaign by settlers to establish a presence at the site. The international community largely considers Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal under international law. Palestinians say the continued expansion restricts movement and development, undermining prospects for a future Palestinian state. They seek the West Bank, captured by Israel in 1967, as part of such a state. Palestinian officials say the land belongs to families from Beit Sahour. Mayor Elias Isseid said the new settlement is part of a growing ring of Israeli communities around the town, connected by roads that lead directly to Jerusalem while bypassing Palestinian areas. In the past, the site had been discussed as a possible location for a Palestinian children’s hospital with international support, but the project was never implemented and the land was later used as a military base. Yatziv is the latest addition to a series of settlements that have expanded around Beit Sahour in recent years.

At least eight more countries say the United States has invited them to join President Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace, a group of world leaders tasked with overseeing the next phase in Gaza and signalling a wider global role. Hungary and Vietnam have accepted the invitation, officials from the two countries said. Under the board’s draft charter, a permanent seat requires a $1 billion contribution, while three-year appointments carry no such requirement, a US official said on condition of anonymity as the document has not been made public. The funds are expected to be used for rebuilding Gaza. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has agreed to join, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told state radio. Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam has also accepted, according to a foreign ministry statement. India has received an invitation, a senior government official said, while Australia confirmed it has been invited and will consult with Washington to better understand the proposal. Jordan, Greece, Cyprus and Pakistan said they were invited on Sunday. Canada, Turkey, Egypt, Paraguay, Argentina and Albania have already said they received invitations. The total number of invitees has not been disclosed. The United States is expected to announce the official list of members in the coming days, likely during the World Economic Forum in Davos. The board is set to oversee the next steps in Gaza as the ceasefire that began on Oct. 10 enters its second phase, including the formation of a new Palestinian committee, deployment of an international security force, disarmament of Hamas and reconstruction of the territory. In letters sent to world leaders, Trump said the Board of Peace would pursue a new approach to resolving global conflicts. Some invitees posted the letters on social media. The White House has also announced an executive committee to implement the board’s plans, though Israel has objected, saying it was not coordinated and runs counter to its policy. Members of the executive committee include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, former British prime minister Tony Blair, World Bank president Ajay Banga and US deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel, along with Israeli businessman Yakir Gabay. Representatives from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, which are monitoring the ceasefire, are also included.

A two-month-old Palestinian baby has died from severe cold in Gaza, becoming the fourth child to freeze to death since November, health officials said on Sunday. Zaher al-Wahidi, director of health information at Gaza’s Health Ministry, said the infant, Mohammed Abu Harbid, died of hypothermia at al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital. His death brings the number of babies who have frozen to death in Gaza since November 2025 to four, and 12 since the war began in October 2023, according to local health officials. As winter storms, heavy rain and freezing winds hit the coastal enclave, thousands of displaced families are living in tents and makeshift shelters with little protection from the cold. Many homes have been destroyed, leaving families without proper shelter, heating or electricity. Hospitals are also struggling to keep premature babies alive. Medical staff at al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp said incubators often stop working due to frequent power cuts and lack of backup batteries. Doctors said many premature babies are now suffering from hypothermia, while shortages of medicine and baby formula have made the situation worse. Displaced families living in flooded tent camps said water enters their shelters during storms and children are falling sick from cold and damp conditions. Aid agencies and human rights groups have warned of a growing humanitarian disaster in Gaza, calling for urgent delivery of winter supplies, tents and medical support to protect vulnerable children.   With inputs from ALJAZEERA

Peace talks between Israel and Hamas resumed on Tuesday at Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, coinciding with the second anniversary of the militant group’s surprise attack on Israel that triggered the devastating war in Gaza. The renewed round of indirect negotiations is centered on a peace plan proposed last week by U.S. President Donald Trump, which aims to end the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya told Egypt’s Qahera TV that the group seeks guarantees of a permanent ceasefire as part of any agreement involving the release of the remaining 48 hostages—around 20 of whom are believed by Israel to still be alive. It marked his first public appearance since an Israeli airstrike in Qatar last month targeted him and other top Hamas figures, killing six people, including his son and office manager. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already accepted Trump’s plan, which calls for the immediate release of hostages, Hamas’s disarmament, and placing Gaza under international administration—conditions yet to be endorsed by Hamas. Netanyahu’s office said Israel was “cautiously optimistic,” describing the ongoing discussions as technical negotiations on a framework both parties have tentatively approved. Trump’s initiative has drawn wide international support. Speaking to reporters Monday, the U.S. president said he believed there was a “really good chance” of reaching a lasting peace deal. Global rallies mark Oct 7 anniversary as Gaza war’s toll deepens, protests grow worldwide Momentum appeared to build further as Qatar announced that its prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, would travel to Egypt on Wednesday to join the mediation efforts. Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Netanyahu’s senior adviser Ron Dermer are also expected to participate. Trump’s peace plan The U.S.-brokered proposal envisions Israel withdrawing its forces from Gaza once Hamas disarms, to be followed by the deployment of an international security force. The plan also calls for Gaza to come under international governance, overseen by Trump and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair. In a statement Tuesday, Hamas reiterated its demands for a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, without mentioning the issue of disarmament. The war erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducting 251 others. Most hostages have since been released through ceasefire deals. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 67,160 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 170,000 injured in the ensuing conflict. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters but says about half of the dead are women and children. The United Nations and independent analysts regard its data as the most credible estimate of casualties. Gaza peace talks continue on war's two-year anniversary Several international experts, including those commissioned by a U.N. body, have said Israel’s military campaign amounts to genocide—an allegation Israel vehemently rejects. On Tuesday, thousands of Israelis gathered at the sites attacked two years ago to commemorate victims and hostages. During the memorial, a rocket fired from northern Gaza exploded nearby, though no damage or casualties were reported. In Gaza City, residents said Israeli strikes continued until early Tuesday, though there were no immediate reports of casualties. Humanitarian lifeline in focus Ahead of the latest talks, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres described the Gaza conflict as “a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale that defies comprehension.” Trump’s proposal, he said, “offers an opportunity that must be seized to end this tragic conflict.” Egypt and Qatar, which have mediated between Israel and Hamas throughout much of the war, are again facilitating the current round of discussions. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said Monday’s talks lasted around four hours. Witkoff, Kushner, and Dermer are due to arrive in Egypt on Wednesday, according to U.S. and Israeli officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as their trips had not yet been formally announced. A key element of Trump’s plan is to accelerate the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where over 2 million Palestinians are facing severe hunger and, in some areas, famine conditions. Source: AP

At least 25 members of the same family were killed when Israeli warplanes bombed a cluster of homes in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood early Sunday, amid intensifying attacks across the besieged territory. The strikes hit as Israeli tanks pushed further into Sabra, part of a broader plan to seize control of the area. Rescue efforts were underway, with at least 17 people pulled from the rubble. Family members feared as many as 50 others remained trapped, with survivors saying they could still hear voices beneath the debris. “We keep hearing their screams from under the rubble, but we cannot reach them,” one family member pleaded. “I appeal to the whole world: Please lend us a helping hand. Our relatives are buried alive.” Rescue workers said their efforts were being hampered by Israeli drones firing at those digging through the rubble. “For every five men making an attempt, four are killed and only one survives,” a relative said. Push for two-state solution to Israel-Palestine conflict faces hurdles and risks backfire Video circulating online showed casualties being carried away in small vehicles, including a grieving mother who cried that she had lost “all of my children” in the attack. Israeli forces also carried out air raids on the Shati refugee camp in western Gaza City and the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood to the southwest, as well as targeting Laval Tower in the Nasr district and a nearby house. Separately, seven Palestinians — including four children — were killed in a strike on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, near a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) clinic, according to emergency sources. Medical sources cited by the Wafa news agency said at least 68 people had been killed across Gaza since dawn on Sunday. The Gaza Health Ministry reported Saturday that overall casualties since October 2023 had reached 65,283 dead and 166,575 wounded. It also confirmed four more deaths from Israeli-induced starvation, raising that toll to 440, including 147 children. Israel continues demolishing buildings and forcing residents to flee as it presses its ground assault. The military said three divisions are advancing in Gaza City and northern Gaza, while another is operating in Khan Younis. It claimed its forces killed “many terrorists” in the past 24 hours. Gaza authorities estimate nearly 900,000 people remain in Gaza City, though Israel says more than 450,000 have already been displaced since early September. As the humanitarian crisis deepens, Pope Leo condemned the forced displacement of civilians, stressing, “There is no future based on violence, forced exile, and revenge.” Meanwhile, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal announced formal recognition of Palestinian statehood just days ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly. Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin welcomed the move, calling Israel’s actions “a systematic assault on the very fabric of humanity, designed to erase the Palestinian people’s existence, culture and future.” Source: Agency

Portugal has announced it will officially recognise a Palestinian state on Sunday, joining a growing number of Western nations ahead of a high-level United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) conference on Palestinian statehood. In a statement on Friday, Portugal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the formal declaration will take place on September 21, a day before the UNGA conference. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro finalised the decision after consultations with the president and parliament, ending nearly 15 years of debate in the Portuguese legislature, local daily Correio da Manhã reported. The proposal was first introduced in 2011 by the country’s Left Bloc political party. Portugal’s move comes just days after a UN inquiry concluded that Israel’s war on Gaza amounts to genocide. Since October 2023, at least 65,141 Palestinians have been killed and 165,925 wounded in Israeli attacks, with thousands more believed to be trapped under rubble. Lisbon had first signaled its intention to recognise Palestine in July, citing the worsening humanitarian crisis and Israel’s ongoing threats to annex Palestinian land. Earlier on Friday, an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron said that Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and San Marino also plan to extend recognition, alongside France, at Monday’s high-level meeting in New York co-hosted with Saudi Arabia. Canada and the United Kingdom have announced similar steps. These countries will join around 147 UN member states — nearly 75 percent of the global body — that had already recognised Palestinian statehood as of April this year. Portugal was also among 145 countries that voted on Friday to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the UNGA by video after the United States denied him a visa. The US, Israel, Paraguay, Palau and Nauru voted against the motion, while six countries abstained. Israel and the US have strongly criticised the wave of recognitions. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called France’s decision “reckless” and accused it of serving “Hamas propaganda.” Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich previously warned that Tel Aviv would establish a new illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank for every country that recognised Palestine. Meanwhile, Luxembourg has indicated it will follow suit. Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel told a parliamentary commission that the country intends to recognise Palestine at the UNGA. Bettel also said he would propose legislation to enable sanctions against Israel, broadcaster RTL Letzebuerg reported. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, has urged countries to go further by imposing sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel. The UNGA’s 1947 partition plan had allocated 45 percent of the land for an Arab state. At the time, the assembly had only 57 members, with many nations still under colonial rule unable to vote.  

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has called upon the international community to take immediate and decisive action against what he terms Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. “The world must now take immediate action to take genuine steps enshrined in international law and human morality against Israeli genocide,” he said in a statement on his verified Facebook page early Wednesday.  The BNP leader also urged the international community to use all economic, political and diplomatic avenues to ensure there is an immediate and lasting ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Citing the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948), he pointed to the definition of genocide as "the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group," emphasising that Israel's actions meet this criteria. Reject cruelty, embrace humanity: Tarique Rahman Tarique said a new UN commission report has been detailed and direct in concluding that Israel is responsible for this crime against Palestinians in Gaza.  “No more excuses or hiding behind propaganda can continue. History teaches us many lessons about acting morally and bravely, even when it may not be the easiest path. We cannot stand by when the very existence of Palestinians is at risk,” he said. Tarique called upon Bangladeshis around the world, whether at home or abroad, to use their collective voice and ensure their leaders stand with Palestine in the face of brutal destruction by Israel. "States have the tools to make a difference. They always do" he said, emphasising that this is a moment where global leadership is needed more than ever.  

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has reiterated Bangladesh’s unwavering solidarity with the people of Palestine and reaffirmed support for a two-State solution based on pre-1967 borders. He also stressed the urgency of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, accountability for the atrocities committed by Israel, and the need for lasting peace in the region. The Adviser made the remarks when Chief Justice of Palestine Dr Mahmoud Sidqi Al-Habbash met with at State guesthouse Padma on Tuesday. Bangladesh has been a great support to Palestine: Ambassador The Chief Justice of Palestine expressed deep gratitude to the leadership and people of Bangladesh for their steadfast support to the Palestinian cause and underscored the importance of greater unity within the Muslim Ummah on this issue. Dr Al-Habbash is visiting Bangladesh on a three-day official trip at the invitation of the Chief Justice of Bangladesh.

Israeli airstrikes killed 14 people in the Gaza Strip, while a separate incident left 10 more Palestinians dead as they tried to access food in the war-ravaged enclave, hospital officials in Gaza told on Saturday. Meanwhile, two American aid workers from the Israel-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) were wounded in southern Gaza during an attack at a food distribution point. The organization blamed Hamas for the assault but did not provide any evidence to support the claim. The latest wave of violence comes as U.S.-mediated ceasefire efforts to end the nearly 21-month conflict show signs of progress. Hamas gave a “positive” response to Washington's latest proposal for a 60-day ceasefire on Friday night but stressed that further negotiations were necessary to settle implementation details. The group is seeking assurances that the temporary truce would eventually lead to a full cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressing for a breakthrough and plans to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week to advance the talks. Palestinians killed in southern Gaza Israeli airstrikes targeted tents in the Muwasi area along the southern Mediterranean coast of Gaza, killing seven people, including a Palestinian doctor and his three children, according to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Additionally, four more people were killed in the town of Bani Suheila in southern Gaza, while three others died in separate airstrikes across Khan Younis. The Israeli military has not yet commented on these incidents. In a separate development, eight Palestinians were killed near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) food distribution site in the southern city of Rafah, the hospital reported. Another Palestinian was killed near a different GHF site in Rafah. It remains unclear how close the victims were to the aid distribution locations. GHF denied the killings happened near their sites. Previously the organization has said no one has been shot at its sites, which are guarded by private contractors but can only be accessed by passing Israeli military positions hundreds of meters away. The army had no immediate comment, but has said it fires warning shots as a crowd-control measure and it only aims at people when its troops are threatened. One Palestinian was also killed waiting in crowds for aid trucks in eastern Khan Younis, officials at Nasser Hospital said. The United Nations and other international organizations bring in their own supplies of aid. It was unclear to which organization the aid trucks the Palestinians were waiting for belonged to, but the incident did not appear to be connected to GHF operations. Crowds of Palestinians often wait for trucks and unload or loot their contents before they reach their destinations. These trucks must pass through areas under Israeli military control. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.