Dawn
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02:24 Oct 19, 2025
• Says Palestinians want dignity, calls northern Gaza a ‘wasteland’ • Relief stalled as Israel insists Rafah crossing to stay shut until Hamas returns remains of all prisoners • Nine members of a family killed when Israeli forces fired at bus JERUSALEM: The United Nations aid chief on Saturday took stock of the monumental task of restoring dignity and hygiene for Palestinians struggling to survive amid Gaza’s devastation, as he witnessed residents digging latrines among the ruins, while Israel and Hamas exchanged more bodies. A convoy of white UN jeeps carried relief coordinator Tom Fletcher and his team through the twisted rubble of shattered homes to see a wastewater treatment plant in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City. “I drove through here seven to eight months ago when most of these buildings were still standing and, to see the devastation — this is a vast part of the city, just a wasteland — and it’s absolutely devastating to see,” he told AFP. The densely populated cities of the Gaza Strip, home to mor...