Global News Podcast - Deadly Israeli airstrike hits school in Gaza City

Episode Date: August 11, 2024

An Israeli air strike on a school building sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City has killed dozens of people and drawn strong international condemnation. Also: Russia steps up evacuations of the Kursk region following the cross border attack by Ukraine. In Bangladesh, the chief justice of the supreme court has become the latest senior official to resign in the face of large demonstrations. The authorities in Japan are urging people to avoid hoarding despite concern about the possibility of a mega earthquake. And the secretive British graffiti artist Banksy has been creating a series of unusual images on the streets of London.

Hello, this is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service, with reports and analysis from across the world. The latest news seven days a week. BBC World Service podcasts are supported by advertising. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Thank you. Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts. You're listening to the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. This edition is published in the early hours of Sunday, the 11th of August.

An Israeli airstrike hits a school in Gaza, killing dozens of Palestinians. Israel says it was targeting Hamas, but the US says far too many civilians are being killed. Russia evacuates 76,000 people following the cross-border attack by Ukraine. And officials in Japan are urging people not to hoard supplies after warning of a possible mega-earthquake. Also in the podcast... Myself and my boyfriend have been on a bank secret also. We've gone to the Pelicans in the podcast... Myself and my boyfriend have been on a Banksy crawl,

so we've gone to the Pelicans in the morning, and then we've just been at the Monkeys in Brick Lane, and then we saw that Banksy had posted the cats, so we're here now. Why the elusive graffiti artist has been so busy in London this week. But we begin in Gaza, and an Israeli airstrike on a school which reportedly killed more than 80 people has drawn strong international condemnation. The US said far too many civilians continue to be killed in the Palestinian territory and it was asking Israel for more details about the attack. The UK said it was appalled, while Turkey called it a new crime against humanity.

Two of the nations mediating in the Gaza war, Qatar and Egypt, also hit out at the Israeli action. Israel said the strike had, quote, eliminated at least 19 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, and it disputed the overall number of people killed. Video from the scene showed body parts scattered on the ground. Fares Afana is director of ambulance services in the Gaza Strip. This is a massacre and a genocide against civilians in this displacement centre in the Gaza Strip. It was targeted by warplane and when we came here we were surprised by the size of this massacre and genocide.

We saw piles of bodies piled one on the other, human remains shredded into pieces. The airstrike came less than two days after Israel agreed to take part in new ceasefire and hostage negotiations. Independent Palestinian official Mustafa Barghouti said the attack was a deliberate attempt to damage those talks. But what do the families of the remaining Israeli hostages make of it? The BBC spoke to Sharon Lifshitz, whose parents were abducted on the 7th of October. Her mother, Yocheved, was released, but her 83-year-old father, Oded, remains in Gaza, his fate unknown. It seems to me that the egos of the people leading Israel and Palestinians are very much about their own survival, their own political interest. It's desperate.

We've been fighting so hard for the return of our loved ones. They are dying as time goes on, and some of the families hear that their loved ones are dead. My father is still presumed alive. And it's very hard to explain what it is like to know that your father is there and that for 10 months I was not able to hug him or care for him or make sure that he's okay. I got more details about the Israeli airstrike from our correspondent Jenny Hill in Tel Aviv. We know that around a thousand people, most of them having

been displaced several times over, had taken shelter in the school and it was just before dawn when many of those people were engaged in morning prayer that Israel struck. The defence forces have told us that they targeted the school with three separate missiles. You'll have seen some of the footage, I'm sure, coming out of Gaza, as well as heard scenes of absolute carnage. It's said that a fire broke out as soon as the missiles struck. Tonight, Gazans in mourning and trying to find shelter somewhere else ahead of yet another fearful night.

The Israeli Defence Force say that they specifically targeted the school because they believed that it was a Hamas base. Specifically, they said they suspected 20 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters were operating out of the compound. We have seen Israel in recent weeks repeatedly strike schools. They are mainly being used as shelters by displaced people. Israel, though, every time it hits a school, insists it's doing so because in their view it's a legitimate target,

it's housing a Hamas command centre or base and every time Israel insists it does everything it can to minimise the loss of life. But we've seen a huge amount of international reaction. Qatar has demanded an urgent investigation not just into today's strike but into this recent repetition of strikes on schools. Qatar, of course, one of the main mediators in negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Israel agreed a couple of days ago to send delegates to attend new talks. Will that be off now following this strike? Well, this is now the question. Hamas, for starters, have issued a furious reaction. They've accused Israel of fabricating lies in order to deliberately target civilians. They describe this as a horrific crime.

Now you're right, the strike comes just a few days after the leaders of the US, Qatar and Egypt, in a highly unusual step, issued a joint statement urging Israel and Hamas to agree to that ceasefire and hostage return deal. Talks were penciled in for this coming Thursday. Israel had said it would send a delegation. Hamas had not officially reacted to that. Earlier, Egypt condemned the strike and said it revealed what it described as Israel's lack of political will to achieve that peace. Jenny Hill in Tel Aviv. For five days now, Russia has been struggling to counter a surprise cross-border attack by Ukraine. The Russians have sent extra tanks and artillery to the Kursk region, while evacuating 76,000 people from areas near the border.

After advancing up to 10 kilometres into Kursk, Ukrainian troops have now posted video showing them inside the neighboring Russian region of Belgorod, while President Zelensky has acknowledged the Ukrainian incursion for the first time. Today, I received several reports from Commander-in-Chief Shirsky regarding the front lines and our actions to push the war onto the aggressor's territory. I am grateful to every unit of defence forces ensuring that. Ukraine is proving that it can indeed restore justice and ensure the necessary pressure on the aggressor. Well, more details on how Russia is responding from our Ukraine correspondent, James Waterhouse. An evacuation of this size either reflects the threat officials think people are facing or the response Moscow is

planning. It appears to be part of a so-called anti-terrorist operation, which includes restricting the movement of people and vehicles, as well as allowing phone taps. As of now, Russia is struggling to contain an offensive, which it says involves a thousand troops. The Ukrainians have reportedly seized several villages and are also threatening the town of Suja. The leader of neighbouring Belarus and Kremlin ally Alexander Lukashenko has announced he's moving more troops to the border after drones were reported over his country. The air defence forces destroyed several targets over the territory of Belarus. We suspect these were attack drones that

violated the airspace of Belarus, flying from Ukraine over the territory of Belarus. We destroyed the targets. The rest were handed over to the Russian Federation. This is a Ukrainian operation which appears to have the support of the West. Today, the US has signed off its 63rd military support package for Ukraine, $125 million worth of mostly ammunition and missile launches. James Waterhouse in Kiev. Officials in Japan are urging people not to hoard supplies after warning of a possible mega earthquake. The alert was issued after a 7.1 magnitude quake struck on Thursday. These residents in Tokyo say they feel prepared. I am quite worried, but on the other hand,

I have known all along that mega quake will happen at some point, so I would say I am relatively well prepared. Emergency food, a portable toilet, helmets, blankets, these are the kind of things I have already gathered. I'm a hiker myself, so I've got maybe two weeks' worth of food and gas, although I'm a bit short on water. I have a tent as well, so I'm optimistic we can manage as long as we have a safe place to evacuate to.

Will Leonardo has more details. Japan's first ever mega earthquake warning appears to have spurred many people to action in recent days. But wall-to-wall media coverage and government reminders to restock essentials may have in fact been too successful. Pictures of empty shelves are becoming more common. In Tokyo, which is outside the earthquake warning area, supermarkets say sale restrictions are imminent. One blamed quake-related media reports. Shortages have also been seen in heavily populated areas of southern and western Japan facing the Nankai Trough, where scientists say a megaquake is more likely than usual.

Government ministries are now urging people to buy only what they need. Nankai Trough earthquakes happen between every 90 and 200 years and are usually accompanied by hugely destructive tsunamis. But experts say that while the risk is elevated, it's still low. Will Leonardo. The Chief Justice of Bangladesh's Supreme Court has stepped down under pressure from the protesters who helped overthrow his former boss, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Abidal Hassan oversaw the war crimes tribunal

that ordered the execution of her opponents. Our South Asia correspondent Samira Hussain has this report from Dhaka. Thousands marched on the grounds of the Bangladesh Supreme Court, ignoring requests by the military to vacate the premises. Protesters were demanding the chief justice of the Supreme Court resign. At least a thousand of our brothers and sisters have died for the firing of law enforcing agency. That's why we demand the resignation of the chief justice. Several hours later, the demands of the student demonstrators were met. Under pressure for being seen as sympathetic to the previous government,

the country's chief justice quit. While these protests were peaceful, there is growing concern about the lack of law and order in Bangladesh. Despite being summoned back to work, the country's police force largely remains absent on the streets of Dhaka after fleeing their posts, fearing reprisal for their use of deadly force against protesters. Samir Hussain in the Bangladeshi capital. Over the past week, a number of streets in London have been adorned by some striking new additions.

A series of images spray-painted on buildings by the secretive British graffiti artist Banksy. They include elephants, pelicans, a goat and a trio of monkeys. The latest, which appeared on Saturday, is of a big cat on an advertising hoarding in North London. Paul Gough, Professor of Fine Arts at the University of the West of England, explains why Banksy's work attracts so much interest. It's iconographic. It tells a story very, very quickly, but it's also attuned to the zeitgeist, either because of what's happening in the world or the timing that it's put there. And it's that level of specificity that I think marks Banksy as a very particular sort of artist. I think what he's done in terms of kind of

anti-marketing, the idea that the message must speak more loudly than the image of the artist, is a very powerful one. And I think, you know, he would argue that he's a villain, he's illegal, he has graffiti-ed buildings, he has cred on the street and he now has cred in his bank as well. But I think the anonymity, you know, it might be wearing thin, but it kind of gives him a veneer of authority, which I think carries him right across the world. Professor Paul Goff. But just what is Banksy trying to say with his animal art? A question I put to the BBC's Bhavane Vade as she stood beside the newest image.

Well, the deep and hidden meaning may be as elusive as the artist himself. People I've been speaking to, they think that maybe these murals are meant to be temporary, maybe they're meant to give the areas around here a bit of a lift or perhaps a boost at a time where community tensions have been on the rise. As you say, they are all animal-themed, and the one here in Cricklewood in north-west London is a large cat stretching out on a disused billboard. And like in many of the other neighbourhoods where these artworks have popped up,

they've created quite a bit of buzz. We've had lots of people all afternoon coming down to take selfies. There have been crews from all around the world coming to take an interest and cover the story as well. I was in Walthamstow yesterday when the two birds appeared to be fishing, appeared on top of a chip shop and we had crews there from Japan, Italy and France. And so a great buzz and a positive feeling. Most of the people who come to visit have been feeling great.

This is what some of them have been having to say. We just think they're just a nice thing to cheer everybody up, basically. Yeah, we just like the fact they're animals. Yeah, we do. Myself and my boyfriend have been on a Banksy crawl today so we've gone to the Pelicans in the morning and then we've just been at the Monkeys in Brick Lane and then we saw that Banksy

posted the cats so we're here now. We'll go to elephants after. But I'm just very glad it's animals because I'm very into nature so it's great that it's all animals. Bring a bit of positivity around London in these times as well. And it's bringing people together. We just met here and we've just been chatting for about 20 minutes about Banksy or London. It's great. And Bhavani, are they securing that artwork where you are? After all, one has

already been stolen. That's right. The one in Peckham of a wolf whistling that was revealed on a satellite dish. It appeared to have been stolen within a couple of hours of it being revealed. And here in Cricklewood this afternoon, we had a man who said he was a contractor for the owner of the billboard coming to take it down. So the police have been here, cordoned it off, and they seem to be in the process of removing it. Another one appears to have been defaced.

The elephants appear to have been defaced. Bhavani Vade, and since she visited the site, the billboard with the big cat has been taken away. And still to come on the Global News podcast... The idea was to have a bell which was a kind of proximity with the athletes. And when they ring the bell, you don't need to explain to them how to do it. What is with that bell that the Olympic winners keep ringing? If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening

to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Global News, AmeriCast and The Global Story, plus other great BBC podcasts from history to comedy to true crime, all ad-free. Simply subscribe to BBC Podcast Premium on Apple Podcasts or listen to Amazon Music with a Prime membership.

Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts. A huge rubbish dump has collapsed near the Ugandan capital Kampala, engulfing homes and killing at least eight people, two of them children. The authorities say it was caused by structural failure, probably triggered by heavy rain. This eyewitness, Oyango Ofumbi, described what he saw. We hear something like blades. After we start seeing people, they are running, then soil is sloping down with the people, cars. We have seen people who died now, there are many, but they are still looking for other bodies.

We got an update from Richard Kugoi. Rescue operations continue at the Chitesi landfill, where emergency personnel are using excavators to search for survivors. Large crowds of local residents have gathered at the Chitesi landfill, where emergency personnel are using excavators to search for survivors. Large crowds of local residents have gathered at the scene, some holding pictures of missing relatives who live nearby. Authorities warn that more bodies could still be buried under the debris. The Kampala City Authority says the collapse was caused by structural failure, likely triggered by heavy rains in the area.

The 36-acre landfill has been the city's primary garbage dump for decades. Richard Kogoy reporting. Thousands of anti-racism demonstrators gathered in cities across the UK on Saturday in response to a recent upsurge in far-right unrest. The violence, some of the worst for more than a decade, was sparked by the killing of three young girls at a holiday club in the north-western town of Southport. Online rumours falsely claimed the killer was a Muslim asylum seeker. Angry mobs took to the streets, vandalising shops and businesses,

targeting mosques and clashing with police. Our political correspondent Rob Watson has been speaking to locals in one of the areas affected, Bolton in Greater Manchester. My first stop, a predominantly Muslim part of town. Do you feel a bit less safe since the riot? Yeah, it definitely makes me think twice before going outside. But do you think the people who've been rioting, do you think they're a minority or do you think they represent British society?

I don't think they represent British society. I think they're sort of angry and they need somewhere to outlet their anger and they've sort of chosen immigration. My parents have been brought up here, born and bred here as well, and to see them phoning me and saying to me, saying, don't go to work, make sure your wife's all right, it's kind of a bit disturbing, don't go to work, make sure your wife's all right. It's kind of a bit disturbing, isn't it, really?

There is certain things that needs to be done, like integration, but some people are put off with it, saying, look, they're different from us, they don't do what we do, like party, go out to drink. We don't do that. This is white people saying Muslims are different. Yeah, it is, but being honest to you, we've got so many things in common that they don't realise in your sports, food, you know, things like that.

It's all about talking to each other, not going out and just going and destroying things. But what about white residents? What do they think is behind what's been happening? Boredom. That's what it is. So you don't buy the argument that it's about immigration or anything like that? I think it's a bit of everything. I'm not racist. I just think it's just over the top now. There's too much immigration, but do you support the riots that we've seen?

I don't support them all. They're pathetic as well, because they're just burning their own towns and cities. I just can't understand why everybody can't just get on with each other, you know, and live together, because it doesn't matter what colour you are or whatever, we're all still human beings. So you've said that, that people should all get along, whatever colour they are,

but you still think that immigration is too high. You think those are different things? Yeah, yeah. That's the only reason. I mean, they're not looking after us, they're looking after everybody else. But we don't need all this trouble, do we? My last stop is a quick chat with the deputy leader of Bolton Town Council, Akhtar Zaman, and previously its first Asian mayor.

How would you describe the mood in the Muslim community here in Bolton and what's your message to that community? Well, right now, there's a lot of fear within the Muslim community, and quite understandably so. But I would say to the Muslim community that we live in a society where a majority of our communities are peace-loving, law-abiding people. So go about your everyday business as normal. Be vigilant. But don't panic. But don't panic. For now, the focus of the government is on bringing the violence to an end through tough police action. There is a broad consensus that,

bad as the violence has been, it's only involved a relatively small number of people and that Britain is not on the brink of civil war. But in the longer term, it has been argued Britain does need a national conversation on such sensitive issues as social cohesion and immigration. All that said, given the past reluctance of politicians to talk about these difficult subjects, there is of course no guarantee that this time will be any different. Our political correspondent Rob Watson. Now, if you've seen any of the medal events in the athletics at the Paris Olympics, you may have noticed the winners celebrating by ringing a large bell on the side of the track.

Well, after the game's finished, the bell will be installed at the restored Notre Dame Cathedral and will ring again when the building reopens in December, almost six years after it was nearly destroyed by fire. Sean Farrington spoke to Paul Bergamo of the Cornville Harvard Bell Foundry in Normandy, which made the victory bell, and to Leslie Dufour, head of sports presentation for Paris 24 who came up with the idea. Well actually it was a very simple idea of we were looking for having a bell at the beginning for athletics because in athletics and in many sports there is very often a bell that is you know being rung for the last lap or for many other opportunities so at the

very beginning the question was only to have a bell. So you decided to have a bell. Did you quite realize how big a feature it would become of the day's events on the track and field? Absolutely not. The first wonder that we had with the team was like, where do we get a bell? Because this is not something, you know, that you purchase every day. So we first been wondering where we would get it, how it is made, because it was also a wonder. It was the first time in my life that I was wondering about making a bell. And then we started some research, and this is how we found the foundry, Cornille Havard.

Well, Paul, were you expecting this to be falling to you, to make such an important bell? Of course not. It was an amazing surprise, but a good surprise. We built a way to make this bell suitable to the stadium and to the Olympic Games. That was the first step. What should be this bell? How it should ring? How it should appear? How the athletes could feel it and ring it. The idea, I think, was to have a bell which was a kind of proximity with the athletes. And what we feel is that when they ring the bell,

you don't need to explain to them how to do it. It's very instinctive. Have you been watching them thinking, Hank, don't ring it too hard. It's not supposed to. Some of them, you know, just won a gold medal. Biggest moment of their lives. Of course. But I mean, no judgment.

I mean, they need to feel it and to ring it as they wish. It's the moment, as you said, of their life and they should do whatever they want. And a huge moment for Notre Dame, Paul, after everything that has been taking place there since the fire. We personally have a very strong link with Notre Dame as we met the bell in 2012 and we received them after the fire for analysis and restoration.

We still have them in our foundry at the moment. And to have the idea of this Olympic Games bell going back to Notre Dame is a way to give a second life to this bell. So I'm very glad about it. Lesley, the end is almost here. What's been the biggest memory for you of the last few weeks?

Oh, hearing all these people, these thousands of people singing along French songs is really something that gives me goosebumps, really, for real. And Paul, for you? I think it's a very deep value of the Olympic Games, this community of everybody for the same target. So it's very pleasant. Paul Bergamo and Leslie Defer talking to Sean Farrington.

And that is all from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast at the same time tomorrow. This edition was mixed by Philip Bull and produced by Anna Murphy. Our editors, Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time, goodbye. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening Thank you. podcasts from history to comedy to true crime all ad free simply subscribe to bbc podcast premium

on apple podcasts or listen to amazon music with a prime membership spend less time on ads and more time with bbc podcasts