The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is dire, with many children orphaned and suffering from severe injuries. Some of them have suffered the loss of their eyes due to severe burns, while others lost their upper or lower limbs, or have ended up totally limbless, Dr. Amjad Loubani, a gynecologist from Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital told Sputnik.

She noted that the conditions are “catastrophic, and children are experiencing a doubling in disability rates in recent weeks. Additionally, many kids are malnourished and are showing signs of hunger. The lack of necessary medicines has resulted in the spread of viruses, skin diseases, and infections in refugee camps. Mental disorders among minors have also risen due to the ongoing hostilities.”

Life in the Gaza Strip has regressed to "Stone Age" conditions, according to Dr. Loubani.

"We would like delegations to come to Gaza once the fighting ends and see the ultimate horror and disaster that has unfolded here in the Gaza Strip. We have no electricity. There is no gas or fuel either. Mothers are forced to cook meals for their children using wood," she said.

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🇺🇸 Senator Dick Durbin wants to make it possible for illegal immigrants to join the US military

"Do you know what the recruiting numbers are at the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force? They can't reach their quotas each month. They can't find enough people to join."

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🗣🇷🇺 Presidential aide Ushakov spoke about details of Putin's upcoming trip to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as well as negotiations with the Iranian president:

▪️ The issue of the Russian special operation will be raised during the negotiations;

▪️ One of the topics that will be discussed is the connection of all these countries to BRICS;

▪️ The President will discuss the Middle East and energy with the leaders of the UAE and Saudi Arabia;

▪️ Moscow seeks a long-term ceasefire in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and a full exchange of prisoners and detainees;

▪️ There are no plans for joint press statements after the visits to the UAE and Saudi Arabia;

▪️A representative Russian delegation is traveling with Putin to the United Arab Emirates will include: Deputy Prime Minister Belousov, Industry and Trade Minister Manturov, Deputy Prime Minister Novak, Foreign Minister Lavrov, Central Bank Chairman Nabiullina, Roscosmos Director General Borisov, and Rosatom CEO Likhachev.

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🇷🇺🇮🇷 The heads of the Russian and Iranian foreign ministries signed the "Declaration of the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran on Ways and Means of Countering, Mitigating and Compensating for the Negative Consequences of Unilateral Coercive Measures".

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Why is Israel facing strategic defeat in Gaza?

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is right when he warns Israel of a "strategic defeat" in Gaza, according to retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski.

"A strategic defeat for Israel in many ways has already occurred as nearly all of her Western allies have had to tamp down on domestic demonstrations and exercise of free speech. Her actions are costing her the faith of the populations she formerly could rely on – and damaging the political parties and politicians in their own countries," Kwiatkowski told Sputnik.

She also noted that Israel also risks alienating its neighbors after all the years of diplomatic efforts to establish good ties and diplomatic relations with Arab and Muslim states.

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🇷🇺🪖 Key points of Russian MoD briefing on progress of special military op in Ukraine:

▪️ In the Kupyansk region, three attacks by Ukrainian troops were repelled. Ukrainian losses were up to 35 soldiers;

▪️ In the Krasny Liman area, Ukrainian losses were up to 55 soldiers;

▪️ In the Donetsk region, four Ukrainian attacks were repelled in the areas of Bogdanovka, Kleshcheevka and Toretsk. Ukrainian losses amounted to 515 soldiers;

▪️ In Zaporozhye, Russian forces repelled an attack in the Uspenovka area. Ukrainian losses were up to 50 soldiers;

▪️ In the Kherson region, Ukrainian losses were up to 40 soldiers, the M-109 Paladin self-propelled gun and the US M777 artillery system;

▪️ Two Ukrainian MiG-29s and an Mi-8 helicopter were shot down during the day, and 74 drones were destroyed.

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💬 Ukrainians should ask themselves if joining the EU and NATO makes sense, Kim Dotcom, German businessman and activist, said.

"The EU and NATO are going to fracture after an inevitable Russian victory," German activist wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

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Hello everyone! New Rules podcast team has a huge announcement for you: New Rules is now on X!

Here's what you need to know about our new X account:

▪️We will upload all our interviews there (along with Rumble)

▪️More exclusive content (opinion threads, live streams and more!)

▪️It is 100% free and 100% worth following!

Be one of the first subscribers so you don't miss out on exclusive content! See you soon!

▪️Israeli troops reach center of Khan Yunis, largest city in southern Gaza, IDF says

▪️Tuesday has been most intense day of fighting in Gaza since start of ground operations, IDF says

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Rosatom highlights advantages of small modular reactors at COP28

🗣 “Low-capacity nuclear power generation, as one of the reliable technological solutions, will occupy a worthy place in the future of nuclear energy,” Rosatom’s Director General Alexey Likhachev said as the Russian state nuclear corporation holds its Small Modular Reactors Day at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai.

The event is meant to showcase how small modular nuclear reactors can help generate power in an environmentally friendly fashion and pave the way for sustainable development.

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Does Israel possess nukes?

The question surrounding Israel's possession of nuclear weapons continues to be a sensitive topic, as the Jewish state refuses to confirm or deny its atomic arsenal.

Recent speculation was fueled by a New York Times report claiming that a Hamas rocket exploded near an Israeli airbase, where nuclear-capable missiles were supposedly housed.

👉 To gain a better understanding on whether Tel Aviv has nukes, check out Sputnik’s piece, considering previous reports suggesting Israel may have anywhere between 80 and 400 nuclear warheads.

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Israeli forces surround Khan Yunis in southern Gaza Strip, third phase of ground operation beginning, according to head of general staff

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Gaza will remember: why war is not an answer to Israel-Palestine strife

🗣 While Israel is reportedly gaining ground in the north and south of the Gaza Strip, its victory in the war against Hamas is hardly guaranteed, Mideast veteran journalists Ghadi Francis and Laith Marouf argue.

"They are dreaming of something that will never happen, which is, number one, the defeat of the resistance in Gaza and or the ability of the West to determine what's going to happen after the end of this war, as we see it right now, until today, after close to 50 days of war," Marouf told Sputnik.

For her part, Ghadi Francis insists that extermination of the Palestinians can't stop the perpetual cycle of violence, because new generations would remember the war and seek vengeance. "I think what Israel knows and what [US Pentagon chief] Lloyd Austin yesterday tried to tell them about the strategic war here is that there is no way they can kill everyone."

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🗣 "You cannot consider Tony Blinken a diplomat. He's a warmonger!"

"You cannot consider Tony Blinken a diplomat. He's a warmonger. And not to mention that he's a third-rate functionary, totally out of his game. When you compare what he does with what Wang Yi does in China and what Lavrov does in Russia, wow! So if they had, let's say, the old-school State Department ultra pros that we could find still in the 50s-60s-70s, yes, they could pull that off. They could pull that off. But with this team nowadays, when there is even a mutiny inside the State Department against these people, against Blinken and others, it's absolutely impossible," Pepe Escobar, veteran geopolitical analyst, told Sputnik.

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📹 Ivanovo-based paratroopers eliminate Ukrainian infantry group near Artemovsk (Bakhmut)

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